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Melbourne Connect community comes together for Mental Health Month

Melbourne Connect will offer a range of virtual events designed to educate, inform and improve wellbeing as part of Mental Health Month this October.

Never has supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our community been more important. This October we aim to shatter the notion that mental health is a taboo topic and encourage the community to connect with one another through a range of events and activities that we hope will inspire and support you, both now and into the future.  

On 12 October Associate Professor Jenny Waycott from the School of Computing and Information Systems will lead Mental Health Technology Aging and Longevity, a community-focused event that will give professionals the chance to meet up and connect from all over the world to focus on future ethical design and emerging technologies in aged care.  

Featuring keynote speaker Stephen Johnston, co-founder of global innovation network for aging and longevity, Aging2.0, and Founder of Fordcastle, and facilitated by Kontent Labs Director Marc Niemes, this is an excellent opportunity to learn about mental health, aging and longevity and its impacts on the wider support network of carers, families, and organisations. 

Following on from this event on 14 October will be a Morning Yoga, hosted by Melbourne University Sport. Get your blood flowing and connect with the present moment through this free virtual yoga session designed with beginners in mind. All you need is some space, a computer screen and a mat/towel for this slow-paced restorative yoga session.  

With the wellbeing flavour in mind, Melbourne Connect’s catering company Atlantic Group will host a special Lunch and Learn on 20 October event focusing on nutrition, an aspect of our mental wellbeing that can often be overlooked. Join Chef Deb Smith who will create and share four great recipes to inspire you to get creative and eat healthy.  

And if you want to cook along, Melbourne Connect will provide you with the ingredients list one week prior so that you can have your kitchen prepped and ready to go! 

If cooking isn’t your flavour, we will also be hosting a special precinct partner edition of your favourite community networking event Meet the Neighbours. On 26 October this Escape Room Special is designed for you to get to know the precinct community members in a fun and casual environment.  

This is a fantastic opportunity for some much-needed lockdown socialisation, and you never know who you will meet – your next great collaborator, perhaps? Social connections have never been more important, so this is one you will not want to miss.  

Finally, on 28 October, don’t miss this very special Fireside chat with Tom Birtwhistle (Australian rowing Paralympian) and Simone Laity, Precinct General Manager. How do we recover from trauma and pursue our lives while continuing to suffer from its aftershocks?  

Presented in collaboration with Melbourne Connect co-located partner SANE Australia and facilitated by mental health consultant and executive coach Swagata Bapat, this event will be an up close and intimate conversation with Australian rowing Paralympian Tom Birtwhistle and Precinct General Manager Simone Laity. Both will uncover their own personal stories and speak about coping mechanisms, resilience and how they manage trauma. 

Please also join us to #ShareYourOneThing as part of Mental Health Month, as part of co-located partner SANE Australia’s campaign.

Mental Health Month runs throughout October.