News

May

 

Freedom Preston-Clark takes on additional role to help Cantabrians

The Foundation’s Southern Development Manager, Freedom Preston-Clark, is the newest addition to the Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund selection team. The Fund is a joint initiative between the Vodafone Foundation and the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust to help rebuild Christchurch communities, places and services. 

Freedom's appointment to the team will see her involved in the funding selection panel for this year’s grants, which are available for youth-focused and infrastructure projects. She brings to the team a wealth of local community sector knowledge, with 18 years’ experience working with non-government organisations in youth and community – 15 of those based in Canterbury – she is passionate about the health and wellbeing of families and communities and holds a governance role for Ara Taiohi. 

“I’m hugely proud to be involved with the Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund and their support of the rebuilding of Christchurch,” Freedom says. “I’m looking forward to taking an active role and to being part of a team that’s making a positive, long term difference to thousands of Cantabrians.” 

James Marsh, Chair of the Canterbury Fund selection team Christchurch is delighted to welcome Freedom to the local selection team.

“She will play an important part in determining the allocation of funding with wide-reaching impact across Canterbury,” he says. 

The Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund was established in 2011 with a strong youth focus. It totals $4 million, with the first $1 million contributed by the Vodafone Group Foundation, the second $1 million contributed by the Vodafone NZ business and $2 million matched by the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust. 

  

Poster competition for World Smokefree Day 31 May

A mental health poster competition is open to artists who have experience of mental health issues across the region and beyond. The prize is vouchers from The French Art Shop. The compeittion is being organised by the Auckland DHB, Toi Ora and ASH. Competition closes 25 May. See Toi Ora website for entry form.

 

Call for graphic recovery stories 

A couple of clever UK blokes are compiling a collection of service user recovery stories – in graphic, or comic strip, form. They are calling the A4 compendium Drawn from Distress to Recovery, and it will be published on 2013. 

John Clark and Theodore Stickley are tackling the project to help address what they call an undervalued feature of the recovery movement. That is, the powerful narratives of those who have survived mental health problems and the psychiatric system. 

“Increasingly people in distress or recovery have turned to the graphic medium of comics to tell their sensitive stories sometimes collaborating with friends or therapists more often working alone on a personal diary or recollection,” they say. 

The invitation goes out to everybody, past or present “sufferer”, regardless of artistic or literary expertise. At this stage they ask only for expressions of interest: a title and paragraph outlining the proposed story plus a sample page of artwork submitted as a jpg no bigger than 2MB. 

Confidentiality will be respected should your work be published but the editors need full contact details even if you prefer to use a pseudonym. And they add they can’t team up writers with artists or vice versa. 

Visit the Brick Bats website or flyer for more information.

Deadline: 31 July 2012

 

 

 

Mal Law awarded local hero medal

It’s confirmed: wild runner Malcolm Law is now officially an Auckland hero.

He’s been a Mental Health Foundation hero for some months now - running a series of grueling events to raise funds - but he’s also been made a 2012 Kiwibank Local Hero Medalist. 

Mal recently won the medal for “using his passion for trail running to raise funds for a number of worthwhile causes, as well as encouraging others to put their passions to good use”. 

Mal inspires people to use their pastimes as a way of helping others, pushing their limits and fundraising in the process. 

In the past, he’s raised funds for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation when he ran seven of New Zealand’s great walks in seven days. He chose this charity because he lost his young brother to leukaemia. 

His more recent commitment to mental health and wellbeing really started after he found the body of his 25-year-old, brother-in-law and promising Metro journalist, Max, who had taken his own life. This profoundly affected Mal’s life. 

Exercise benefits wellbeing 

He is a firm believer that physical activity and goal setting can help ease the symptoms of depression.

Most recently, Mal completed Everest in a Day, at North Head in Auckland, running the equivalent of an Everest ascent in 24 hours and 44 minutes. This came hot on the heels of his Hillary Trial time slash on Easter Friday.

"I took almost two hours off my personal best and joined a pretty exclusive club of people who have run it in less than 12 hrs,” Mal says.

All through the night…

Mental Health Foundation staffer John Mustchin spent time at the North Head event taking photos and supporting Mal.

John says it was an honour to have been there, and he saw first-hand how Mal deserved the Local Hero award.

“I watched Mal doing his run up “Mt Everest” (North head). When I knew he was doing it for the Foundation, I was more than willing to add my support,” John says.

Each circuit was 60m up to the summit and 60m back down to Cheltenham Beach. Done 148 times this gives the equivalent altitude gain and loss to ascending and descending Everest from sea level. All told, it’s 8880m of up and 8800m of down.

John says 10 minutes after the official start time Mal got going with his run , with lots of clapping and cheering he headed downhill on his first decent.

“It was good he had so much support and other runners join him each time he headed downhill. I think every mad runner was up at North Head that weekend.

“He and his supporters went right through the cold night… he made the last assent to get to the top at about 12.50pm and there was so much cheering I think we would have been heard down at Parliament!”

John says Mal and wife Sally did a wonderful job and he encourages others to give him their support for the next big event.

Mal says the Everest run was: "Magnificent! Tough, tough, tough, but magnificent. I had awesome support from so many. I finished 148 ascents in 24 hrs 44 minutes. Given I was dead on my feet after 100 laps and chundered twice, I was happy just to battle through and finish.”

South West Coast Path run will be the big one

Mal used the ‘Everest in Day’ event as a build up to his biggest ever physical and mental challenge. He will be crossing the world to join Englishman Tom Bland in another epic adventure, where they will attempt to run the entire length of the UK's longest footpath, the South West Coast Path, in one go!

That's 1014 km, the equivalent of 24 marathons in just two weeks. Put another way, he will be running 1.75 marathons every day for 14 days over terrain that is a challenge for even the strongest hikers – something they say has never been done before.

Founder of Running Wild, Challenge for a Cure

Mal is the founder of Running Wild, an organisation that encourages runners of all levels to explore and share New Zealand’s trails in a selfless way.

He has also set up Challenge for a Cure, five overseas challenge adventures, from trekking in the Andes through to running through Australia’s deserts, where participants dedicate themselves to fundraise a certain target amount in order to join the trip. 

More about Local Heroes

Kiwibank’s Local Heroes rewards everyday people doing extraordinary things in their local communities and recognises the enormous contribution, sacrifice and commitment of Kiwis who selflessly work to make their local communities a better place.

The Local Heroes Awards are part of the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards and this year recognised 157 people across New Zealand.

Read more and join others who are supporting Mal in his South West Coast Path Run, so far to the tune of $8,500:

 

USave doubles donations to Foundation

USave now donates 50% of its commission to its shoppers' and sellers' chosen causes. For example, when you buy from the New Merchandise section a $100 item - the Foundation (if you name us as your charity) gets  50% of the 5.5% commission ($2.75) and merchants in that section also give $1 for purchases over $40 giving a total of $3.75 to us!

Or, when you register to sell your first item - we get an immediate $5 donation from USave. When you sell a pre-loved or new item in the Garage Sale - we receive 50% of the sales commission – again a $100 sale means $2.75 to the MHF. Add the $5 registration donation and that's $7.75 for selling one item!

Find out more about USave.

 

March

Watch Stand Tall in NZ Sign Language

Experience Stand Tall in a most beautiful way - NZ Sign Language Sign Singing.

Sam RB is honoured to share the NZSL Sign Singing Stand Tall Music Video by Striped Trees Productions. The video was made in support of NZ Sign Language Week 2012 (30 April – 6 May) and for the final stage of voting Stand Tall to become NZ’s Olympic Anthem.

"We started going into primary schools with Stand Tall and were looking at ways that students could connect more with the song," Sam says. "Sign langauge was a lovely way of doing that. It has made the song more accessible for people while showcasing the beauty of sign language."

The video is directed and shot by Priscilla North and features sisters Sarah and Christie Mason translating the song into NZ Sign Language. The music is composed by Sam RB and produced by Eddie Rayner.

Make Stand Tall NZ's Olympic Anthem. Vote here until Saturday 31 March, 5pm & follow Stand Tall's progress.

 

Stand Tall needs your support NOW to keep it at No 1 in anthem competition

With only two days of voting left, Sam RB’s song Stand Tall is in first place in the NZ Olympic Song Writing Competition. For it to stay in first place and become the NZ Olympic Anthem for the London Olympics she needs your votes, every day before voting closes this Saturday at 5pm.
Vote here and follow Stand Tall's progress.
Read more about Stand Tall.

 

Inspire Kieran with your messages of support!

If you haven't already, now's the time to get in behind super athlete Kieran Sutherland as he prepares for Ironman Melbourne on Sunday! Send him a message of encouragement by emailing sutherland.kieran "at" gmail.com

Kieran sent out the call for support on 20 February and, in that short time, he has received over 130 messages and raised over $10,000 for the Foundation- donations are still coming in – thank you for supporting him, and the Foundation, so generously. Visit his fundraising online page

At 17, Kieran lost his dad to suicide and, more recently, lost one of his best friends as well. He's keen to raise as much money as he can in memory of these two special people. Kieran says he is a huge believer in exercise to increase personal wellbeing, so he has signed up for the 25 March challenge, which consists of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle ride and a 42.2km run. 

“Raising funds for Jupies will not bring him back, but if it can help someone else who suffers from mental illness and prevent this from happening to someone else then that is a great result," Kieran says.

"I am blown away from the support this has received. I'm planning on reading all of the messages of support on Sunday morning before I start to give me some last minute inspiration.” 

All at the Mental Health Foundation wish you strength, Kieran, for a great Ironman event on Sunday - we are thrilled with and grateful for your efforts to raise funds and awareness, and inspired by your courage. We know that what you have done will certainly help other people.

 

Documentary gives voice to psychiatric hospital survivors 

The secret, often shameful, history of New Zealand’s psychiatric hospitals is laid bare in Mental Notes, a new feature-length documentary by award-winning filmmaker Jim Marbrook (pictured). 

Screening as part of the upcoming World Cinema Showcase, Mental Notes features the testimony of five survivors of the “very bad old days of mental health care in New Zealand”, and it “honours their endurance and enables their stories to emerge from the shadows and leave their indelible blemishes on our social history”, according to Bill Gosden, director of the New Zealand International Film Festival. 

Jim Marbrook’s interest in the subject was prompted by earlier work he’d done with people who had experienced mental health difficulties, much of which he drew on for his award-winning 2005 documentary Dark Horse. 

With a grant from the Frozen Funds Trust, Jim undertook a three-year odyssey during which he crisscrossed the country, visiting every ‘Bin’ ever built, ploughing through mountains of archival material, and interviewing survivors of what was an often inhumane system. The interviews, in which former patients recall their experiences with (in Gosden’s words) “dismay, disbelief and a touch of gallows humour”, form the heart of the film. 

One of the survivors is Anne Helm, who observes that “for many, the path to healing is about accepting that things have happened”. 

Mental Notes enables the voices of people too long ignored to finally be heard. 

Watch the Mental Notes trailer 

For more on Mental Notes, visit the World Cinema Showcase website 

About the World Cinema Showcase 

World Cinema Showcase session details for Mental Notes:

Auckland

Saturday 31 March, 6pm, Rialto Newmarket 

Sunday 1 April, 1:50 pm, Rialto Newmarket

Monday 2 April, 11:30am, Rialto Newmarket 

Sunday 8 April, 4 pm, Bridgeway Cinema 

Wellington

Friday 20 April, 12pm, Paramount Cinema 

Saturday 21 April, 6 pm, Paramount Cinema

Dunedin

Monday 23 April, 6:15 pm, Regent Theatre

Tuesday 24 April, 11:15am, Regent Theatre 

Christchurch

Saturday 5 May, 5:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre

Monday 7 May, 12 pm, Hollywood Theatre 

 

About Jim Marbrook

Jim is an Auckland-based filmmaker and lecturer in Screen and Television at Auckland University of Technology. His documentary and drama work has been shown in cinemas and on TV.

His first feature-length documentary, Dark Horse, won Best Feature Film at the inaugural Documentary Edge Film Festival in 2005. A fictionalised version of this portrait of Genesis Potini, a Gisborne speed chess maestro living with bipolar disorder, is currently being developed with the help of the New Zealand Film Commission.

Jim’s next documentary feature, about nickel mining and environmental protest in New Caledonia, will be released later in 2012.

 

 

Get to know your neighbours

Neighbours Day Aotearoa is about connecting and reconnecting with folks over the fence. That’s what our Northern Development Manager Amanda Bradley told radio host Mike Hosking today on Newstalk ZB.

Amanda says that Kiwis are becoming more mobile - renting and moving around a lot with about half of us having moved in last five years.

“This creates a lack of stability in the neighbourhood,” she says “so you don’t get an opportunity to develop relationships over time.”

Knowing your neighbours means saying hello and coming round for cups of tea or as much as throwing a street party. It could mean mowing lawns and other acts of generosity towards others, and kids and older people are great at breaking down the barriers.

“We have an older person in our street who has been key to us getting to know everybody else, and she brings veges over etc.” Amanda says.

Neighbours Day Aotearoa, coming up this weekend, is being rolled out nationwide for the first time and this year the Foundation is partnering up with other groups to look at how we can use our relationships to get national momentum for this event.

“We have had amazing responses,” Amanda says.

 
Listen to the interview

Visit the Neighbours Day website

An introduction to Neighbours Day Aotearoa

 

 

Heads in the cloud conveyed important messages

A large number of young women in Auckland feel stressed and anxious and aren’t sure what to do about it, if the 'Cloud' gathering in the weekend is anything to go by.

Thousands of women of all ages, stages and ethnicities flocked to Auckland’s Cloud, in the Viaduct, in the weekend to experience ACP’s 30 Days of Health and Wellbeing Spa Weekend. Many of the women visited the Mental Health Foundation’s pod for the free wellbeing assessment and winning ways to wellbeing talks.

Northern development manager for the Foundation Amanda Bradley (pictured above) says many mothers and daughters and young women in their 20s and 30s paid a visit and several themes emerged from their questions.

They wanted to know how to support a friend or family member struggling with depression, how to deal with stress at work, and how to get their male friend or family member to open up about their feelings when something is obviously wrong.

“And, overwhelming from young women, feelings of stress and anxiety and not being sure how to deal with these feelings,” Amanda says.

She says the Foundation already has a lot of very good resources on its website, but it is now looking for funds to create a new brochure to help this specific group of women that offers information about depression, stress and anxiety, what to do about it and where to get help.

One way to cope, Amanda and her team told women, was to adopt the five winning ways to wellbeing:

“Everyone knew exercise was good for mood, some knew about connect and learn, but the majority were not so sure about give and take notice,” she says.

Amanda says it was great to see the women were engaged and interested in the winning ways to wellbeing. Everyone who completed an entry form went into the draw to win a Kindle and the winner is Vicki Valentin from Glenfield.

 

 

Researchers seeking medical practitioners to answer online survey

Australian researchers Dr Lee Kannis and Dr Geoff Lovell are asking Kiwi docs to complete an anonymous 15 minute online survey to assist their research into exercise prescriptions for people with mental health challenges. 

The University of the Sunshine Coast researchers say, while the potential benefits of exercise as a treatment for mental illness are well documented, research examining practical challenges of such interventions is sparse. 

“In light of the limited research in this area, this project attempts to further our current understanding of what mental health conditions are being treated or managed by exercise and what methods of exercise prescription are currently being used,” Dr Kannis says. 

“Furthermore, this survey will also examine what issues are considered to be key road-blocks to the prescription of exercise for mental health by practitioners treating patients with mental health concerns.” 

Findings from the project should assist practitioners, researchers, as well as policy makers, to design more appropriate initiatives using exercise in real world situations to help treat and manage mental illness. 

Dr Kannis says it would be good to have New Zealand practitioners well represented in this research, which has USC ethics approval. 

If you would like further information please contact:

Lee Kannis, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Arts & Business, University of the Sunshine Coast, Locked Bag 4 - Maroochydore, Queensland 4558, Australia. Phone: +61 7 5459 4879, Fax: +61 7 5459 4767 lkannisd "at" usc.edu.au 

Start the survey now

 

 

Win prizes, free advertising from U$ave and Grownups!

U$ave has teamed up with NZ Lifestyle website www.grownups.co.nz, which has around 100,000 monthly visitors and nearing 70,000 members and it's all free.

As a special offer, GrownUps is offering a prize bundle of DVDs and books for pne person who registers free. All you need to do is to register and fill in the 'Referral Code' field, enter the first 4 letters of your charity, school or club followed by a 1 (eg, abcde charity would be abcd1).

Not only will one person win a bundle, but the charity with the most registrations, will also WIN $1500 OF ADVERTISING AT NO COST, with GrownUps. (T's & C's apply)

At the same time enjoy all that GrownUps has to offer, including over 5000 articles, discussions, connect with like-minded people and new friends, play games and contribute.

Read more about U$ave

 

Vote for 'Stand Tall' to be the NZ Olympic Song of the Games!

Sam RB would like to thank all her supporters for voting Stand Tall onto the NZ Olympic album.

It's now one of 10 songs on the album and is in a final voting round to establish the NZ Olympic Song of the Games.

Sam says that winning this last part of the competition would be a privilege and honour.

“Stand Tall is about more than physical achievement, it’s about standing tall inside. Having or finding that kind of self-belief can really change lives. I think that makes Stand Tall a song we can all relate to,” she says.

The new voting round opens today (1 March) and closes on 31 March and Sam is keen to get as many people as possible voting on a daily basis for Stand Tall.

"It is a special song that resonates with people," Judi Clements, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation, "and is a real anthem for all Kiwis to enjoy – so let’s get in there and vote!"

Vote daily by selecting 'songwriting', voting for Stand Tall and confirming your details (to be in to win prizes!)

Remember to watch Sam RB on TV One's Close Up Thursday night at 7pm:

Follow Sam RB and Stand Tall's progress on Facebook and her website.

Let us kindle your desire to be mentally well at Spa Weekend 

The Mental Health Foundation will march to its own beat this weekend when it offers wellbeing assessments amid a sea of consumer health products and services at the 30 Days of Health and Wellbeing Spa Weekend. 

The Foundation will have a ‘pod’ at the ACP-run event at The Cloud on Auckland’s Waterfront 3-4 March, 10am to 4pm each day. We will have an expert team assessing wellbeing with a short quiz and people on hand to advise on the five simple things you can introduce into your life that will support and improve your mental health.

On Saturday at 3.30pm mental health promoter Grant Rix will give a talk outlining the five ways to wellbeing, including a short mindfulness session to wind down and finish the day. Mindfulness is a great technique for reducing stress and finding balance in your life. 

Spot prizes and fantastic giveaways are on offer – and everyone who completes an entry form goes in the draw to win a Kindle (an electronic book reader from Amazon, in case you are out of the loop). 

March is all about women’s health and wellbeing where you can make over your life with expert help, by taking up the 30-Day Challenge covering physical, mental and emotional health. 

Visit www.30daysofhealthandwellbeing.co.nz for more info on the free Spa Weekend, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Nights and boot camps. 

See you there!

 February

Guy looking for people to take part in a photography project

Guy Frederick believes in the power of storytelling through people sharing their stories. He is the recipient of a 2011 NZ Mental Health Media Grant and a professional photographer based in Christchurch.

Guy’s media grant is for a photojournalism project and exhibition that explores the impacts of earthquakes on the wellbeing of Christchurch individuals, communities and organisations.

"The aim of this project is to share images and stories promoting wellbeing,” Guy says, “and to help reduce barriers for people experiencing anxiety and stress so they can access the variety of support available."

He says there are many fantastic initiatives at grassroots level and sees his project as a way to celebrate them, share how people have dealt with events and guide others who may be struggling to rebuild their lives and flourish again.

If you are interested in taking part read more about the project, or contact Guy by 7 March info "at" guyfrederick.co.nz

 

Burning calories, being active and having heaps of fun

Still got your holiday flab? Trying to follow up on your New Year's resolutions to drink less and lose weight? Join the club! No, join Bike Wise and see the kilos disappear.

The Bike Wise challenge is a fun and free competition held every February to see which organisation can get the most staff to ride a bike for at least 10 minutes or 2kms a day. The MentalHealth Foundation's Canterbury office is taking part as you can see by their new “car” park. Take a look at their Bike Wise stats.

It’s probably a bit late in the month to start trying to beat off the opposition, but you can still take part by registering online. 

The Bike Wise website gives 10 great reasons to take part:

  • It’s fun! You get to do something different with your colleagues or get away from the office
  • It saves money. Not just from petrol costs but from parking charges as well. You can use the extra money to buy the things you really want
  • It keeps you fit and healthy! No need for the gym memberships. Your colleagues will notice that extra glow when you come to work
  • You will arrive at work invigorated from the fresh air and exerciseY•ou get to rediscover your town and city in a whole new way
  • You’re doing your bit to cut down on congestion and save the environment
  • You’re more alert, possibly work better and faster as well
  • You enjoy greater teamwork with your colleagues. New friendships might be formed!
  • There are great prizes to be won
  • There is the thrill of beating the competition.

 

January

We're looking for an exceptional writer to join our communications team in Auckland - could this be you or someone you know? Take a look at the advertisment and position description.

Top Page last updated: 16 May 2012