Thrive Cast by CMY Ballarat OUT NOW
Young people from Ballarat tackle mental health crisis by sparking conversation and creating community.
Content warning: mention of suicide, self-harm, mental health.
The rising mental health crisis among the youth of Ballarat has resulted in a significant number of individuals experiencing mental illness, self-harm, and suicide, making it a pressing issue for the community. In response, youth-led program ‘Tiaal Mi Goa’ launches ‘Thrive Cast’, a mental and social wellbeing podcast aiming to destigmatise and demystify mental health and support.
‘Tiaal Mi Goa’ loosely translates to ‘Good Mental Health’ in the Nuer language spoken in South Sudan and Ethiopia, a prominent cultural group of the Ballarat region. Co-facilitated by the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and headspace Ballarat, the group formed in early 2022 following a series of youth suicides in the community, prompting young people to come together to tackle the challenges of their community. Tiaal Mi Goa have facilitated a number of events including cooking classes and self-care workshops to promote a sense of belonging for young people in Ballarat and surrounding areas.
In their latest project ,Tiaal Mi Goa’s ‘Thrive Cast’ is a mental and social wellbeing podcast designed and produced by young people, with the aim of elevating the voices of young people.
A diverse team of 20 young people are involved, with ‘Thrive Cast’ speaking to their unique challenges surrounding mental health support, taking an intersectional approach to discussions of mental health, culture, gender equity and education. Made for young people, by young people – ‘Thrive Cast’ combats the serious issue of youth mental health and suicide in Ballarat and highlights ways to break down barriers, connect to local support services, and build healthy and inclusive communities.
While working on Thrive Cast I was able to meet new people and had some amazing conversations with others who were closer to my age and shared similar experiences to me.
Poppy, Ballarat Youth Advisory Group (YAG) member
The diverse team of young people cover topics such as Culture, Gender Equity, Stigma and Education, and how these topics affect the every day life of multicultural young people living in Ballarat and the surrounding regions.
The partnership between headspace Ballarat and CMY has allowed me to broaden my knowledge surrounding mental health in multiple cultures across the Ballarat and central highlands region that I am enthusiastic to share while spending further time working on Thrive Cast.
Taylah, headspace YRG member
Thrive Cast is a partnership between Multicultural Arts Victoria, CMY Ballarat and headspace Ballarat, and supported by VicHealth through its ‘Future Healthy: Future Reset’ program. Episode 1-4 of Season 1 are now live, with the 4 remaining episodes to launch in August. Content Warning: mention of mental health, suicide and self harm.
Listen to Thrive Cast on Spotify.
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