St Mary’s Development Program – Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Information Session
Following on from the release of the Costa Family supported player on and off field development program in 2016 the club is looking to enhance the program this year with some new initiatives. It is expected we will be in a position to release this years program with dates and initiatives by the end of March.
To kick off the year and aligning with St Mary’s culture of creating a proactive and supportive environment to those with a vested interest in the club, we are holding a Mental Health/Drugs and Alcohol Information Session. Details are as follows:
- Tuesday March 21 – 6pm to 7pm
- Presenter – Blake Edwards (Youth Development Specialist)
Blake Edwards is a qualified social worker, with 13 years of experience working in the development and wellbeing industry. Blake has worked for a variety of organisations including Headspace and YSAS, where he worked with young people with co-existing drug/alcohol and mental health disorders. Blake has also been a part of several community projects which has taken him to the Northern Territory, setting up two culturally informed mental health services. Currently living in the Surf Coast, Blake manages the Youth Development Team, where he facilitates a range of mental health promotions programs.St Mary’s Sporting Club realises that 3 million Australians are currently living with depression or anxiety and on average around 50% of Australians will suffer from a mental health condition in their lifetime. These are overwhelming and alarming figures. Unfortunately in today’s society education and awareness of mental health conditions isn’t placed a priority. This has to change, the stigma has to be removed. We need to be aware of where and when to seek help in order to help ourselves and our loved ones improved their lives.This session has the sole focus of skilling our members up with a proactive focus towards Mental Health Fitness.
