ROAR youth activities boosting mental health

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The teenage boys on a ropes course.

Intereach is reducing isolation and building social connections among young people from rural NSW communities through fun and engaging activities for Mental Health Month.  

Thanks to funding from the NSW Government’s Winter and Spring Holiday Break Program, our Reach Out and Relax (ROAR) team ran a series of school holiday experiences promoting mental wellbeing for youth in Cootamundra, Gundagai, and Hay. 

The team took participants from Gundagai and Cootamundra to the Vortex Centre in Wagga, where they enjoyed rock climbing, high ropes, bumper cars, and obstacle courses. The fun didn’t stop there, with an afternoon of Ten-Pin Bowling, pizza lunch, and arcade games.  

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It was so wonderful to see the young people excited, laughing and creating lasting memories together."

Geoff Dewar - ROAR Child Family and Community Worker (pictured left)

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Gundagai parents gave some glowing feedback about the experience: 

  • “Thank you for organising the ROAR day. It was fantastic for the kids and provided my son with the opportunity to spend a fun day with his peers in the holidays.”
  • “Our daughter had an absolute ball. It was a very well run and organised day. She can’t wait to get back to school and tell her friends about the great time she had.” 
  • “My son loved all aspects of the day. Vortex was a huge hit but he enjoyed the team spirit at bowling. He found they had enough time at each activity and everyone got a go.”
  • “My daughter had a ball and said the event was really well organised and fun. There was a nice group of children and a good-sized number where everyone got on and could get acquainted with different kids.”
  • From my point of view, I found the whole thing very well organised and well communicated. Thank you for organising a great event.”
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Cootamundra parents shared similar sentiments: 

  • “As a working family, we don’t often get the chance to take our son to these types of activities during the holidays, so this was a real treat.” 
  • “My son was initially anxious, but when he returned, he said, ‘the day went really fast!’ and everyone was really nice.” 
  • “It’s wonderful to hear my child recount the day with such happiness and excitement. He felt safe and confident, and this was his first solo trip without us.” 
  • “My children had an absolute ball and can’t wait for the next one!”
  • Thank you for the amazing day out for our kids that we are extremely lucky to have offered to us through these wonderful services.”
  • “Our child told us all about the day over dinner last night with blow-by-blow descriptions of each task and activities and the fun he had with his friends, even looking up Vortex on the iPad to show us some pics so we could understand what he was talking about.”
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In Hay, ROAR partnered with Saltbush Stretch to offer four yoga and mindfulness classes across two days.  

The classes aimed to educate young people about the warning signs of mental health issues and introduce them to self-care strategies through yoga and mindfulness. 

Each participant received their own yoga mat to take home, along with a gift bag containing a 21-day wellbeing journal kindly donated by The Resilience Project to help them maintain a healthy mindset. 

 

“I didn’t think yoga was for me but this session was great and helped me to relax and be present in the momet,” one teen shared. 

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ROAR also celebrated Mental Health Month in Wagga Wagga with a drumming workshop, where young people were encouraged to ‘Talk About It Through Rhythm’. 

The event provided a space for children aged to use rhythm and drumming to communicate different thoughts, feelings and emotions while making connections with others. 

“I enjoyed using the drums and the activities. The activities were so fun, copying the beat as a group was awesome and I felt safe and happy participating,” one child reflected. 

 

A parent also shared: “My daughter absolutely loved it and the facilitators did an amazing job making her feel comfortable doing a new activity in the community. It was such a warm, friendly and respectful environment for all of participants and I will be looking for more programs like this for her to attend.” 

ROAR Program Manager Jayne Lang said these activities reflected Intereach’s commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people in regional communities.  

“Creating fun and engaging activities for our young people is vital,” she said. 

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They not only promote mental wellbeing but help to reduce isolation and build social connections. By providing these experiences, we’re fostering the resilience of young people and working towards our vision of creating strong, connected communities.

“We are incredibly grateful for the NSW Government’s support through the Winter and Spring Holiday Break Program, which made some of these memorable experiences possible for the youth in our communities.” 

ROAR aims to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people up to the age of 18. It is delivered across the NSW local government areas of Balranald, Wentworth, Berrigan, Hay, Edward River, Murray River, Federation, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera, Wagga Wagga, Lockhart, Leeton, Temora, Griffith, Carrathool, Coolamon, Cootamundra, Gundagai and Junee. 

For information, call 1300 488 226 or visit www.intereach.com.au/search/ROAR