THIRTY-two mental health first aid scholarships are set to be made available to local small to medium businesses, in the first on-the-ground use of funds raised by Wangaratta initiative Project 365.
The scholarship program will be launched at tomorrow's Grit and Resilience Festival Celebrating headspace Day, to be held in Wangaratta's King George Gardens from 4pm to 6.30pm, where members of Project 365 will also perform.
This will be the latest public performance by the Project 365 band U Can Cry, which has so far raised thousands of dollars through its two 2022 shows at the Wangaratta Performing Arts and Convention Centre and another successful event, 'The Ripple Effect', at the rodeo grounds last November.
The group, which will stage its next show, 'Bringing Light to the Dark', on February 22, 2025, is set to pump a significant portion of funds raised through those first three events into provision of the mental health first aid scholarships, an initiative which will be coordinated by the Wangaratta Grit and Resilience Program.
Applications will open on Thursday, October 10 for the scholarship program, which aims to equip the staff of local small to medium businesses with skills to recognise and respond to mental health issues effectively, thus creating supportive environments for mental health.
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Eligible businesses must be located and operating within the Rural City of Wangaratta, have between two and 100 employees, and meet the attendance and study requirements for the training, which will take place in March next year.
Funding for this round will allow up to 32 individuals to be trained as part of the program.
Research shows that organisations with staff trained in mental health first aid report higher levels of mental health literacy, reduced stigma around mental health issues, and more confidence in supporting someone with a mental health issue.
Applications for the mental health first aid scholarships will be open from this Thursday until December 13, via a link which will be available on the Rural City of Wangaratta website under Grit and Resilience.
Project 365 founder Peter Rourke said the program was about putting important steps in place to support locals.
He said the first 32 people trained in mental health first aid through the initiative would themselves represent a large section of the community, and this would in turn lead to a ripple effect of knowledge spreading through the Rural City of Wangaratta.
"If we can put something in place to create a healthier work environment, whether that be in retail, health, agriculture, hospitality, tourism, manufacturing or other sectors, it can move beyond that to people sitting around the kitchen table with their families," Mr Rourke said.
"We have been saying we would put funds back into the community and we have been looking for the right avenue, we just had to make sure all the stars aligned.
"The penny dropped when we looked into mental health first aid."
Mr Rourke said while the funding contribution from Project 365 was significant, and meant local businesses who received the scholarships would not need to pay, the ultimate value to the community was greater.
"Without the commitment of so many people in the band and the cohort, as well as the supporters and sponsors - or believers, as we like to call them - we wouldn't be in the position we are in now," he said.
"The fact we can do this to support the community sends a shiver up my spine."
For more information about the mental health first aid scholarship program, visit the Grit and Resilience Festival Celebrating headspace Day in the King George Gardens tomorrow, Thursday, October 10.
