Empower Yourself, Empower Others - OCD and Anxiety Living Library Event

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/BuNWp1bL0nc 

Come join us at the Pearl Cove library to observe OCD and Anxiety Disorders Month with our Human Living Library event! 

Have you experienced any OCD or Anxiety disorders? Do you know of a loved one who needs help with these particular issues? Or are you just curious to learn more about mental health? Well this event might just be for you! 

The Pearl Cove Library is honoured to be hosting a living library event to start a conversation about mental health issues which are silently affecting many of us and our loved ones. One in five (20%) of Australians aged 16-85  experience mental illness in any given year, with Indigenous and immigrant communites being much more at risk. OCD and Anxiety sufferers form a major part of these statistics and we hope to create a safe space at the library to have an open conversation about these issues.

What is a Human Living Library? 

A living library is where a person takes the form of a 'book' and another person 'borrows' them to listen to their story. Unlike a regular book though, a human book is more interactive and you may ask questions to learn more about them! It is becoming a very popular way to learn about others from diverse backgrounds and connecting people from all walks of life.

Who are our books for this event?

A 38 year old Indigenous representative from the Black Dog institute's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Network who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

A 19 year old who experiences social anxiety disorder

A 45 year old refugee who experiences Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from war-torn Syria

A 67 year old woman who has lived with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

A 28 year old from the Chinese-speaking community who deals with OCD and GAD

Key Event Details:

Date - 20th August

Time - 1pm to 4pm

Location - Pearl Cove Library, Main Floor

Booking - please book at Eventbrite

Contact Info - Please call 9999 9999 or email us at pearlcovelibevents@librarymail.com.au

A $4 library cafe voucher is provided with your ticket!

Further Information:

Please visit https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/resources-support/anxiety/ for more information on OCD and Anxiety.

We hope to see you there!

James Pozzar

You're Not Alone!

 

Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/wshd8w2m

If you have a mental health condition or someone who has it then fear not! For you are not alone! 

Mental Health issues are more prevalent in our social today than in any other point in human history and according to Beyond Blue, it is estimated that 45% of Australians will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. 

In this Human library event you'll hear extraordinary stories from our books and how they've dealt with mental health problems or their experiences working with people with those issues. The purpose of these stories is to make you aware, educated, open-minded and rethink stereotypes in regard to mental health.

What is a Human Library?

It's like a normal library but the books are human volunteers that specialize in a subject like mental health just like in this event and library guests can borrow them then listen to their story, ask them questions and engage in open conversations that you wouldn't normally have. The goal of a human library is to educate, encourage open-mindedness, encourage diversity, and crush stereotypes.

Details

When:  Sunday October 10^th, 12pm-2:20PM

Where: Pearl Cove Library

Bookings

You can book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/

For further information

please contact: 5555 555 555 or email us at Library@pearlcove.nsw.gov.au 

Beyond Blue:  https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts

John Bingle (student number: 880601390)

Pearl Cove library event: R U OK? DAY

               Pearl Cove Library is holding its R U OK? human library event!

  Source from http://www.gocatalyst.org/human-book-application

                               What is a human library?

Human Library is a library of people, it replaces books with human beings. The concept might be new here but the first human library started in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000. It is an international organization that aims to challenge prejudice against social contact among people. The Human Living Library works just like a normal library: visitors can browse the catalogue for the available titles, choose the book they want to read, and borrow it for a limited period of time. The only difference is that the books are all human volunteers who have opted to speak about their experiences openly to an interested audience and answer any questions they are asked.

For further information please visit: https://www.humanlibraryaus.org/

We will be hosting a ‘Human Library’ event for people to tell their stories and educate the community on the importance of mental health. The ‘books’ will share their story with participants. It is an opportunity to spread knowledge, share experiences and let readers to understand themselves and their familiar fields. They are indigenous Australian group, social support group, professional experts from Community Health. 

If you're unable to make the event, R U OK? encourage you to register at https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day to receive a recording of the event.

The individuals available for loan:

• A trusted GP have passion for mental health
• Evan Wolff would share his own personal experience with mental health issues
• A veteran of 37 years’ service in the Royal Australian Navy
• Indigenous Australian counsellor

                                                       Event detail

                                  Date: Thursday 9th September 2021

                                  Time: 10:00 am-12:25pm

                                  Location: Pearl Cove library Pearl room

                                  Booking information

                                 Cost: free Booking required ( 50 people limited)

                                 Age 18+

                                 Food and drinks provided

                                 Online: pearlcovelibraries.eventbrite.com

                                 Phone: Contact Sara Ren at (02) 1300 8989 for                                   more information

This event supported by:

Pearl Cove Council

Pearl Cove High School Counsellor 

Xiaolin (Lynn) Zhang

Rehumanising Mental Health

 Rehumanising Mental Health

A Human Library event at Pearl Cove Library

 

 Mental Health and Human Libraries

The National Health Survey (2017-18) indicated that roughly one in five Australians suffers from a mental or behavioural condition. Despite how common mental health issues are, many people suffering from these issues feel too embarrassed to talk openly about their problems, or fear stigmatisation should they do so. This denies them one of the most important assets in combating mental health issues - the ability to openly express and be themselves without fear of censure.

The Human Library Organisation is a movement designed to combat stereotypes and preconceived judgements by facilitating conversations between people who believes in those stereotypes and the people who are implicated by them in a safe environment designed to promote open and candid discussion.

In recognition of the ongoing National Mental Health Month, Pearl Cove Library is proud to announce a Human Library event focusing on mental health matters.

 

At our event you will have the opportunity to engage in frank and meaningful conversation with four "human books", who either themselves experience or have experienced mental health issues or have worked extensively with people who experience mental health issues.

If you feel that you don't totally understand the amazing complexity of mental health, or want an opportunity to talk about your own experiences with someone who will understand, this is the event for you!

 

Event Details

Date and Time - Saturday the 16th of October, 11 am - 1 pm 

Venue - The Pearl Cove Library cafe

Admission - FREE! 

Booking

Please book through Eventbrite at: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/pearl-cove-library-rehumanising-mental-health

For any further assistance, please contact our event co-ordinator, Lilly Leal, at 04XXXXXXXX or at lillyl2@pcl.nsw.gov.au

We are only accepting 25 attendees for this event. Book fast to ensure you'll be able to attend!

 

Further Information

Mental Health Month - https://www.mhfa.org.au/cms/national-mental-health-month-2021

Human Libraries - https://humanlibrary.org/   

Australian Mental Health Statistics - https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/mental-health

 

 

Max Sibrits, Student number: 808418631 

  TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST 

(For Mental Health Awareness Week 8-14th May 2021)

Human Living Library Event @ Pearl Cove Library

''I would say what others have said: It gets better. One day, you’ll find your tribe. You just have to trust that people are out there waiting to love you and celebrate you for who you are. In the meantime, the reality is you might have to be your own tribe. You might have to be your own best friend. That’s not something they’re going to teach you in school. So start the work of loving yourself.'' — Wentworth Miller

What is a human living library?

Human living library helps people to un-judge others by assembling people that do not usually meet in normal life. It allows people to borrow others as a '' human living book '' and have conversation for a while. Human living book event aims to break prejudice in Pearl Cove community and raise awareness about mental health issues. The human library is an international organization and first started in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2000.

Meet our human books;

Ngarra Hawkins Ngarra is 47 years old and born in the Pearl Cove region.  Ngarra has suffered from alcoholism and depression since adolescence. She enthusiastic about sharing her story and help others.

Lowanna Stanley Lowanna is 22 years old and she is an active member of the indigenous community in the region. Lowanna suffers from anxiety and she’s willing to share her experience with others.

Fatima Qureshi Fatima is 33 years old and she is asylum seeker and left his hometown Damascus in 2012 due to civil war in Syria. She is living in the Pearl Cove for 4 years. Fatima is suffering from PTSD.

Mehrdad Gholami Mehrdad is 39 years old and moved to Australia as an asylum seeker since he was politically active in Iran before.  

Borrowing session will run 25 minutes for each human living book*.

Event is free of charge**.

Event Information;

When🕒: 14th of May 2021 (Friday)

4.00 pm to 6.15 pm

Where🏠: @ Pearl Cove Library

@Pearl Cove Room (Inside the Library Building)

17 Alice Street Pearl Cove 2242

Please e-mail events@pearlcovelibrary.com.au for bookings and

Please visit the website below for information about mental health in Australia.

https://mhaustralia.org/

For more information;

Phone: (02) 354 04 444

E-mail: events@pearlcovelibrary.com.au

Written by Eray Ozturk for BSBLIB503 Develop and promote activities, events and public programs.

Issues of the past effecting the future - Human Living Library

(Flickr, 2020)

Pearl Cove Library is hosting our annual Human Living Library, this years topic is Trauma. Here is an opportunity to meet and listen to people who have lived with trauma throughout their lives. Lets help squash stigma surrounding trauma and mental illness.

Our guests:

Michelle - A  woman who sufferers from trauma due to being held up at her first ever job at gun point, luckily she had taken 45,000 dollars to the bank an hour earlier and so the robbery was unsuccessful. Now however she has residual trauma from this and it even continues to have nightmares even now twenty years later.

Jeremy - Served in the defence force, since he was 18 years old. He was discharged from duty two years ago, and since then has struggled with civilian life, unable to find a suitable job or any kind of assistance from the defence to help him cope with his PTSD.

Kate - A child abuse survivor by the hand of her mother, emotional neglected and now estranged from her step-father. She has no contact with her birth-father or half sisters who live in another country. Kate was kicked out of home at 17 and has been homeless on and off for years, she now has extreme anxiety that has caused her to become physically ill.

Amy - An indigenous woman who is a psychologist who specialised in trauma, grief and loss, she has worked as a psychologist for almost 15 years, and found inspiration to get into that line of work because of her father who was taken as a part of the stolen generation.

Date: 28th of October 2020

Time: 1 pm - 3 pm

Location: Pearl Cove Library Courtyard

Book Tickets here at Eventbrite, only 40 tickets available 

Further information can be found on trauma at Blue Knot Foundation

Please call lifeline at 13 11 14 if you feel you are at risk

Claire Bullen