CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP CAMP

CAMP CAMP CAMP

YC4MH camp happening this Thursday 09th to Monday 13th. We'll be traveling by the 'venga-bus' to NaDaVE for a thursday to monday camp of a lifetime.

already 20 something people have confirmed. if you wana get more info please let tiri noe asap

woohooo ..... youth champs rock

Dealing with Stress

Some questions you can ask yourself:

1. Assess the situation
Why am I stressed? What is causing the stress?

2. Isolate the emotions involved
How am I reacting to the stress? Am I angry, nervous etc?

3. Identify possible changes
How can I change it? What can’t I change? How can I make it better?

4. Manage your feelings
If I cannot control the situation, how can I manage the way I feel about it?

5. Identify those around you who can help you with your stress
Who are my Helping Hands?

6. Keep a positive outlook
How do I remain above the problem? How can I be resilient?

Look out for more notes on dealing with Stress

Anxiety

Anxiety is NOT a random, unknown, or uncontrollable disease or illness that you inherit or contract. Anxiety is a normal reaction to fear.

Everyone experiences anxiety to some degree. Anxiety is caused by the perception of fear, or in other words, by thinking fearfully.

For example, Webster’s dictionary defines anxiety as:

A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.
A state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning.

Therefore, anxiety by itself is NOT a disease or illness, but turns into a disorder when a person becomes physically, psychologically, emotionally, or spiritually symptomatic, fearful, or distraught because of it.

Worry IS anxiety.

The Webster’s dictionary defines worry as:

a troubled state of mind, anxiety, distressed, persistent mental uneasiness.
Worry results from fearful thinking about a future event or circumstance.

While the negative effects of acute or chronic anxiety may feel like a random, unknown, and uncontrollable disease, they are actually quite reversible. The problem is that most people don’t know how.

Anxiety conditions appear for specific reasons and have definite reasons why they persist. Once these reasons are identified and properly addressed, anxiety conditions along with their symptoms can be eliminated. . .and for good.

Anxiety conditions persist only because the underlying factors that cause them aren’t properly addressed. That’s why those who take medication as their only form of treatment generally remain on medication long term, or find themselves going on and coming off over and over again. Until the underlying factors are properly addressed, anxiety generally persists.

Working with an experienced anxiety coach/counselor/therapist (preferably someone who has personally conquered anxiety in his or her own life and is medication-free) produces the most effective results.

Anxiety disorders are fully reversible. With the right information, help, and support, anyone can conquer anxiety.

National Youth Day, 2009

Friday, 20 March was the designated day for the celebration of the National Youth Day in Suva and throughout the nation. It was a day that was much looked forward to by Youths, Youth groups and Youth NGOs from all over the country. The theme set by the Department of Youth was: Step Up for Positive Change. With a march planned, formal activities, a workshop on the Pacific Youth Festival to run throughout the day and a music festival to finish it off in the evening, this was a day that we all eagerly awaited and prepared for.



It was a major disappointment to hear of the cancellation of the day’s events by the Minister for Education, Filipe Bole. Everything planned from the march straight through to the Music Festival was recalled and all ministry officials were to pack up and leave. The biggest disappointment came from those groups of Young People who had already met at the Flea market from 7am in the morning to prepare for the march that was shortly after cancelled. Even though the Tsunami warning was withdrawn way before the formal activities, the plans for the day’s events still remained cancelled; this was very disheartening to hear and left a lot of young people in the dark as to what would happen to celebrate their day.



However, this news didn’t stop a group of resourceful young people to come together and put forward a program that ran from 9am till 4pm in Sukuna Park. Members of the Young People’s Concerned Network, Peter Waqavonovono and Tura Lewai along with the PYC President Jackie Koroi did an amazing job planning a full day’s event in short notice. Youth groups who hung around and played a major part in the impromptu celebration were: Pacific Youth Festival Alumni, RFMF Youth, Fiji Youths Against Racism, Youth Peace Facilitators, Youth Inc, Pasifika Voices choir, Youth Champs for Mental Health, Yarawa Youth, Lajei Youth, Rescue Mission, Ark of Hope Youth Group and the YPCN. Displaying banners and running around the Sukuna Park grounds in costume, dancing to the music on offer from the bands playing on stage, the young people brought life to what started out as an ominous day.



The crowd turnout, according to the YPCN press release, was an amazing 900 people by headcount alone, with the majority of them being Youths and school children who were released from schools by the Ministry of Education. Students from Suva Grammar School and Laucala Bay Secondary School took up the challenge to be a part of the celebration and sing on stage to a welcoming crowd. The only formalities of the program being a few words shared from various leaders of youth groups like Gary Rounds for the Youth Champs for Mental Health, Jackie Koroi for the Pacific Youth Council inspiring youths present to be a part of the positive change that is needed in our nation and also recognizing the issues that young people are desperate to get out to the mainstream. In a speech given by YPCN Vice President Peter Waqavonovono to youth activists that attended yesterdays Youth Day Celebrations at Sukuna Park called on Youth activists to ‘build bridges and focus on moving Fiji forward through a collective voice”. He also made a call to action, and encouraged youths to be “ready for the Pacific Youth Festival, and personally push for more youth inclusiveness on every facet of Fiji’s socio-political life”.



The day’s program was a resounding success for Youths and for the young people present; it was a clear demonstration that the Youths of this nation are willing and able to work towards the building of a better Fiji taking the step towards positive change that is desperately needed in these times. We have shown that we can cut through the various barriers present within society and forge a path leading to peace within our generation and for Fiji. Youths present count the Tsunami warning a blessing because without it, we wouldn’t have had the chance to showcase our skills and abilities in organizing a major event like what was experienced on Friday.



Major kudos goes out to all who participated and were a part of a true National Youth Day celebration coined by the same young people as the Youth Tsunami Day Celebrations.

Being a Youth Champ for Mental Health (+ an extra tidbit)

This past year has been quite a blast for me. Being a part of the group that met and talked things over about creating a group focusing on Mental Health and Youth was a real golden opportunity. I had never heard of any group at all that was interested on the issues of Young people and their mental health. The Youth Champs for Mental Health have truly changed my life. They’ve changed my perspective on issues of mental health and suicide. The work has opened my eyes to see how limited and underappreciated the mental health services are in Fiji.

I believe that everyone has a story to tell that deals on an issue of mental health, most especially me. Here’s my story…

All my life, I grew up knowing and feeling different. From even before I was born, I was unwanted by my mother (she confessed this to me) and so everyday in each passing year, for everything that went wrong in the house, I was the scapegoat. My brothers picked up on my mother’s treatment on me and they heaped even more trouble on my head. You may look at me and think that I’m extroverted, but I’m not – I’m really an introvert. Growing up, I spent a lot of time piling things up within me and never releasing that stress. I would always take the pain in and never let it go. Sometimes I’d just cry myself to sleep, forcing my face into the pillow so that no one heard my pain. Being effeminate the treatment I received from my brothers became worse and as always I’d just take it all in and hide everything behind a mask of smiles and laughter.

This continued for 18 years until I was in Form Six and i just snapped. I remember getting up from bed in the middle of the night and going into the kitchen. I pulled out a cutting knife from the drawer and tried to draw up the will to slash my wrists or stab myself in the guts. It was at that moment that I had an almost out-of-body experience. A voice went off in my head saying to me “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THIS ISN’T THE WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS”. I was so scared and put the knife away, ran into my bedroom and cried into my pillow yet again.

Two days after that experience, I was taken by my mother to an uncle for prayers (for my future) and in that session, all these feelings and thoughts just spilt out. I had literally scared my mother out of her wits. She never realised that what she was doing to me all those years as a kid would lead me wanting to take my life. She confessed to me that getting pregnant with me was the last thing she wanted and from that moment she hated me and took the frustration and pain of life out on me. We both cried and reconciled ourselves there at that point.

From that day onwards, things slowly changed for me at home. I was slowly accepted and life became easier. The only problem is that keeping things bottled inside me had become a habit of mine and it’s something I still battle with to this day.

Since joining YC4MH, I’ve come to know a group of friends who share my experiences and pains. They know and understand me, accept me for who I am and not pass judgments on my personality. I’ve got people I can trust to share my problems with and they know that they can do the same with me. My personal capacity building is just underway and I want to use my experiences to let other young people know that it’s ok to speak out about their feelings and not be ashamed to say that they’re feeling depressed or stressed out.

I thank Tiri and the guys from PCDF for their initiative and foresight to creating a group that’s truly amazing as this. I look forward to this year and what it has for us and I’m willing to embrace whatever life throws at me coz I know that there’s always someone I can lean on in the tough times.

Sailosi Toganivalu

Happy New Year!!

It's 2009 and we welcome the New Year with much hope and anticipation for what it may bring to us the Youth Champs. Some things to look out for this year and on our blog for the coming months are:

1. The YC4MH camp (Details TBC by Tiri)

2. Personal Stories from the champs on their experiences in the past year will be posted up as they come in

3. The Champs preparation for participation in the Pacific Youth Festival 2009 hosted in Suva.

4. More info bytes on coping with stress

5. A closer look into the work of the Youth Champs for Mental Health

6. Stories of the Champs from the local media

All that and more will be posted in the coming months! Stay tuned.

Youth Champs Story on Fiji Sun

Here's an excerpt from the Fiji Sun story on the Youth Champs:

Despite the gloomy political climate early this year, a youth consultation forum for a proposed National Suicide Prevention policy was organised.

The young participants represented other youth affiliations from a diverse group.

There were those from sexual minorities groups like the Chinese youth association, peer educators from the University of the South Pacific and several other youth advocates.

The forum was a success with participants sharing personal stories, views and experiences.
At the end of the forum the participants stood up and challenged each other to continue advocating mental health issues.

The organisation targets other youth because of the stigma attached to mental illness and that many young people refrain from accessing mental health services.

Youth and Mental Health project officer, Tiriseyani Naulivou said the champs’ main objective was to help reduce this stigma through their advocacy activities.

“Following that forum Partners in Community Development organised a few other Youth and Mental Health related activities, which many of these same young people attended,” she said. "This to us was an indication of the commitment level these dedicated young people had made to our work in addressing Mental Health issues.”

The cause resulted in the Partners in Community Development Fiji then organising an awareness camp for youths where they were provided with the basic Mental Health knowledge and skills that they would need in their work. The camp was such a success that from there raises a ‘Youth Champs for Mental Health group.

Beginning with only 14 members the champ numbers has grown to about 30 and are still getting expressions of interest from many people who are eager to join.

“This is an indication that young people are aware and concerned about Mental Health issues in Fiji. It’s just a matter of involving them, hearing them out and ensuring that their needs are being met in terms of mental health” Tirisiyani said.

They have an executive committee made up of a President, Secretary, Spokesperson and project leaders who are in charge of specific mental health activities for the year.

There is also a board of advisor made up of Tiriseyani Naulivou a member of the National Council for the Prevention of Suicide; a Ministry of Youth rep; and a Psychiatrist from the St Giles Hospital.

“Right now we are still Suva based. But we are working on creating champs in the other parts of Fiji through other Mental Health officers under the Ministry of Health” Tiriseyani said.

The YC4MH endeavor is to reduce stigma against mental illness through developing youth friendly mental health information, using the creative arts to create awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, working in collaboration with other mental health stakeholders in organizing mental health related activities, and advocating for mental health issues .

“Youth are most vulnerable to Mental Illness and Suicide because of the rapid changes they experience at this phase of life. The latest suicide statistics in Fiji shows that a great percent of these figures represent youth. Yet, there are no specific Mental Health services available to young people in Fiji” she adds.

The youth champs are taking on a ‘youth 4 youth’ approach where they go out and educate other young people and advocate together to ensure that specific youth targeted mental health services are available and accessible by youth. They also tap into young peoples’ creative talent to get them to start thinking positively about mental health issues.

“We worked with Rishikul Sanatan College in the development of their winning dance concept for Suicide Prevention. Partners in Community Development also sponsored the production of a Mental Health theme song, the lyrics to which was written by two of our youth a champ” She said.

The song was launched at the St Giles Open Day on Saturday 04, October. We hope to have this inspirational piece on the radio for young people to hear and be inspired and encouraged.
Tiriseyani said that the group is so grateful for all the support they receive.

“We have a lot of support from other Mental Health stakeholders, which is always strengthening us. These include the Ministry of Health, Psychiatric Survivors Association and the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific International” she adds.

Earlier this year, the youth champ met with counterparts from seven other island countries who were excited to see the work of the youth champs in Fiji.

“Since then, they have decided to go back to their own countries and create their own youth champ groups. So, the youth champs will start to have their own regional network. Here in Fiji, even though we are still Suva based, we are working closely with Mental Health Project Officers from other divisions to set up an extended youth network” Tiriseyani said

The future look bright for the youth champ and the plan for the future is well under way.

“Right now we’re still a young group and we’re working on figuring out how we are going to arrange our activities for the next few years This is a challenge because there is such a need for our work and existence that many individuals and organisations are keen to work with us. However, right now we are on a tight budget and need to plan our activities accordingly”