Charlotte Varcoe
HEADSPACE volunteers Jazz Norris, Maddison Strafford, Pheobe Beare and Gael Chizungu all agree on one thing, volunteering for the Youth Reference Group is a wonderful idea.
All four volunteers have joined the team at Headspace Mount Gambier and have assisted in organising events such as the Amazing Race and Metro Chill and Chat.
Jazz, being one of the newest members, said she joined in on the group after utilising Headspace herself.
“I have been volunteering here for just under a month and I signed up because I used Headspace as a service and when I was finished they offered me the Youth Reference Group for me,” Jazz said.
“I thought it was a great way for me to give back to my community and I am really happy there are quite a few of us.”
She said it was great to help out with community events and seeing people enjoy the events was a major positive.
“Volunteering is a good way to step away from technology and make real friendships and is valuable for those stepping into adulthood,” Jazz said.
“I am looking forward to making connections and meeting new people and seeing different types of people.
“Volunteering has also helped my mental health because I don’t feel so alone and people are open to helping you out.”
Fellow volunteer Maddison had been a part of the youth group for about a year after completing work experience at Headspace.
“I decided to continue volunteering at Headspace because I had not heard of the youth group before that and I thought it would be good to join in,” Maddison said.
“Primarily we talk about different events that are happening in the community or even things the organisation is involved in and sometimes we are asked to help plan community events or give feedback.”
She said it was important to volunteer in order to help the youth in the region and maintain a new perspective.
“We are making sure we are giving the best care to people and I have enjoyed volunteering so far, I have made a lot more connections with people and it has helped me understand how everything works.”
With mental health being the occupation Maddison wished to enter after school she said it was great to also have insight and understand its inner workings.
Also hoping to work in the mental health sector was Gael who began volunteering with Headspace two years ago.
She said she has helped organise events and represent the youth in the community while promoting mental health.
“I want to study psychology later in life, I am in Year 12 now and through this I am able to expose myself to the mental health field,” Gael said.
“I am interested in mental health because providing support for people is a big thing for me and understanding how the brain works, especially with trying to raise awareness for mental health which is something I hope to make an impact in raising awareness around youth’s mental health.”
She said in Mount Gambier/Berrin, there was a lack of knowledge about what services were available and she hoped to make an impact.
“By volunteering it has helped me make sure I want to work in mental health in the future because I am already in the mental health field and through my work experience here I was able to interview people and understand the potential career paths,” Gael said.
“It has also made me aware of other groups in the community through the events we host.”
Pheobe also said she has enjoyed her time volunteering after signing up to improve her social circle.
“I signed up because I didn’t have the best start to the year, I lost someone close to me which was a push to do something with the community,” Pheobe said.
“It is my last year of school and once I finish school I know the social aspect would drop so I wanted to start something that would keep that up.”
She said through her volunteer work at Headspace she had connected with representatives from suicide hotlines and many others.
“I have been able to get closer to the community as I didn’t do much in the community beforehand and even though it has only been a few events I have helped with so far I think I will be able to do more in the future,” she said.
