Blue Week
Blue Week is an exciting on-campus initiative that is running for the first time as a nation-wide event in 2014. Beginning as an initiative of the University of Western Sydney Medical Society and Global Health Group, it went on to win the 2013 AMSA Wellbeing Cup and has now run with huge success in many university campuses around Australia. This week varies across universities, and will be expanding even further in the near future.
Blue Week aims to directly engage with tertiary students using innovative activities on campuses to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigma surrounding mental health issues. All events and activities during the week are themed blue – the international colour for mental health! This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with mental health issues in a fun, interesting and engaging environment alongside your fellow peers.
Keep an eye out for Blue Week coming to a campus near you!
Upcoming dates:
University of New South Wales
Welfare Week (29th September-3rd October)
Monash University
Blue Week (21st-26th September)
UWA Students Passionate about Mental Health
R U OK Day (September 9th)
Flinders University
Mental Health Awareness Month (October)
JCUMSA
Blue Week(1st to 5th September 2014)
We are also extremely excited to partner with Future Health Leaders on this initiative, bringing Blue Week to even more University campuses around Australia than ever before.
For more information, please email Brian Fernandes (Community & Wellbeing Liaison Officer) at brian.fernandes@amsa.org.au
Wellbeing Workshops
A number of workshops have been written and conducted across Australian and international conferences focusing on medical student mental health. These workshops are run by students, for students, and emphasise what we as a group can do to improve our wellbeing.
The Carefactor workshop, now in its second year,aims to educate students about early signs of mental health issues and upskill students to help their peers through the appropriate networks and approach. This workshop has been run with great success at the 2014 AMSA National Convention, 2014 IFMSA General Assembly in Taiwan, 2013 Health Practitioner’s Health Conference in Brisbane as well as numerous medical school events and leadership seminars in Victoria. Focusing on common everyday signs of the early stages of mental health difficulty, Carefactor uses interactive scenarios and multimedia prompts to educate students on what to look out for, and the best way to help.
Code Blue is a three-day intensive workshop delivered at the recent IFMSA General Assembly in Taiwan to medical students from all over the globe. This workshop aims to upskill medical students worldwide on how to approach the mental health issues of medical students in their country, considering social and cultural contexts as well as issues at the individual and peer level. The AMSA Mental Health Campaign is proud to be leading the way in peer-to-peer education on mental health issues, on an international scale!
For more information, please email mentalhealth@amsa.org.au
