News
Free NAIDOC Family Day at Peninsula Community Centre
To celebrate NAIDOC Week, Coast Community Connections is hosting a free community event, NAIDOC Week Family Day at the Peninsula Community Centre on Tuesday 3 July to highlight the achievements and contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made to our community and provide an opportunity to share this culture with other locals and families.
This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is ‘Because of Her, We Can’, a reflection on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have made positive contributions to the lives of those around them and continue to do so today.
Keeping in theme with the annual celebration in Australia, this family-friendly event will feature an exhibition and display of traditional arts and crafts from talented local women as well as interactive activities including storytelling, delicious bush tucker, face painting and exciting live entertainment.
Emma Gilby, General Manager of Coast Community Connections said, “This is a great opportunity for members of the community to come and celebrate our Indigenous community.
“We’d like to welcome all locals and families to come and enjoy a great day of festivities at the Peninsula Community Centre. We look forward to seeing you all there,” concluded Ms Gilby.
65 students trained in Mental Health First Aid Course
Following a $20,000 grant from the Department of Family and Community Services, Coast Community Connections’ Evolution Youth Service has successfully provided Teen Mental Health First Aid (TMHFA) training to 65 young leaders across the Central Coast.
The three and a half-hour TMHFA course, delivered in two sessions, was developed in response to research indicating that young people prefer to share their mental health issues with peers.
Seven local schools participated in the program that was delivered to students in years 10 to 12, with the course teaching participants how to provide mental health first aid to their friends.
Key course topics included awareness of disorders associated with anxiety, eating, depression, drugs and alcohol, bullying or abuse, as well as education relating to the relationship between feelings and behaviours for someone with suicidal thoughts or those considering self-harm.
Gambling Solutions experiencing increased demand across the Coast
On the back of recent reviews of gaming machine spend on the Central Coast, Coast Community Connections’ free gambling counselling service, Gambling Solutions, confirms that it is experiencing an increase in demand for its services each and every day.
A recent NSW Government report identified the Central Coast and specifically the Peninsula area as having “a high gambling risk” and Gambling Solutions, funded by the Responsible Gambling Fund, has doubled its support staff in the last two years.
Keep Looking When Cooking
To help prevent kitchen fires, Fire & Rescue NSW has released the Keep Looking When Cooking mini mag. Available in cafés, bars, community centres and other locations all over NSW, it features a great collection of recipes from firefighters that will give you the answer to that perennial question – “What’s for dinner tonight?”