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Yesterday over 200 students from 14 schools around the West Moreton region, participated in the 7th annual “Talkin’ It Up!” Regional Youth Mental Health Forum at the Laidley Cultural Centre, Laidley.

Sponsored by Ipswich Hospital Foundation (IHF) and led by West Moreton Health, the event was designed specifically to increase awareness and inform students of the importance of dealing with mental health issues sooner rather than later.

The day consisted of several workshops, group activities and presentations. The event provided a platform for discussion on various mental health conditions, helping the students identify with the organisations they can turn to when the going gets tough or want to help a friend who may be suffering.

In its 7^th year, the Regional Youth Mental Health Forum is dedicated to reaching those students who don’t live in a major capital city and may not be aware of the available resources that can assist with mental health problems.

“Youth mental health is quickly becoming one of the biggest issues facing teenagers, families and teachers alike. Talkin’ it Up! is all about empowering young people and letting them know it is OK to speak about mental health and mental illness”, said Greg Jensen, the interim CEO of IHF.

“It is common for young people to ask their peers for support when they are struggling. That’s why it’s important for young people to know what help is available so they can direct their friends in the direction of appropriate help when needed.

“We know we can make a very positive difference by working with West Moreton Health and our other partners to remove the stigma associated with mental illness and to provide a great day of entertainment and information for local young people.

The Youth Mental Health Forum has proven to be an important platform for local students, giving them the knowledge to start conversations about their own mental health.

“We are glad to see the forum is growing stronger in strength both in the size of numbers of students who are attending and the amount of accessibility the students have to content and organisations in the mental health space every year”.

It was a great day with a lot of information given out. Still, most importantly, there was a lot of Talkin’ It Up about mental health issues and ultimately working towards removing the stigma that cripples many into staying silent.

Over the past 25 years, IHF has been raising funds to support West Moreton Health to deliver safe, quality healthcare promoting community health and wellbeing. The Foundation focuses on engaging with a broader community to ensure it responds to the diverse growing needs of the West Moreton Region.

To know more about IHF and how you can donate to the Foundation, please visit www.ihfoundation.org.au.

If you are struggling and need support or advice, contact Headspace Ipswich 07 3280 7900, headspace.ipswich@aftercare.com.au or drop into 26 East St, Ipswich.

Other avenues for help include Lifeline 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, and Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800.

The 18^th annual charity run, Ipswich Hospital Foundation Park2Park, presented by University of Southern Queensland, will take place this July. The Main Event will be hosted at Bill Paterson Oval at Limestone Park on Sunday 31 July. If participants cannot on the day, there is the option to sign up for the Virtual Event and run or walk from absolutely any location between 23 July – 6 August 2022.

The Ipswich Hospital Foundation’s Park2Park event is a fun-filled day that promotes exercise while raising money for local research projects, scholarships, presentations, and the annual Research Awards. It is suitable for almost all ages, with free activities for children and food trucks and stalls providing something for everyone. It is also a popular date on the running calendar for elite athletes.

The Foundation recently announced Bec Ungermann and Clay Dawson to be the 2022 Park2Park ambassadors. They will be running with participants on the Main Event, raising money to support the hospitals and communities of the West Moreton region.

Bec Ungermann is well known in Ipswich both in the health care industry and health/fitness community. She is a local podiatrist, an active runner, and the owner of Boss Multisport.
Bec has built a strong relationship with IHF through being a fitness trainer and an IHF volunteer.

Clay Dawson, the past IHF Park2Park Champion said, “I love the fact that this event is a celebration of our healthy community and the city of Ipswich in general!”

Dave Lambert will be the IHF Park2Park Race Director this year. Dave has supported many IHF events and built a great relationship with the Foundation over the past years, including being a trainer for the community fitness program and volunteering at Park2Park.

Dave encourages everyone to participate in this event, “Park2Park offers something for every fitness level, including 2.5km, 5km Walk, 5km Run 10km, Half Marathon, Half Marathon Relay, Family Challenge 400m Obstacle Course.

“It represents much more than a celebration of health and personal wellness or realising health goals. It means coming together of a community and the valuable contribution the Ipswich Hospital Foundation can make to the West Moreton community.

“It is important to help raise funds and get our local researchers focusing on issues that affect local people. By advancing with local research and taking steps to become a tertiary hospital, locals will not need to travel as far for the healthcare they need.

“I’m confident that Park2Park will be another great success this year with the support from our volunteers, sponsors and partners, such as the University of South Queensland, City of Ipswich, Slater Gordon Lawyers and Brooks!

“Make sure you get your friends, family, business or school signed up for a team by the end of May; so that you can take advantage of the Early Bird rate! I’m looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday, 31 July.”

Participants can register online until 3pm on Saturday 30th July at: https://park2park.com.au/ or in-person on the day.

Kim Taylor, a retired dancing teacher and the founder of Ipswich Combined Teachers Dance Festival (ICTDF), donates $20,000 to Ipswich Hospital Foundation (IHF).

ICTDF is a group-only dance festival that runs once a year. Kim and her family started ICTDF 20 years ago to create a dance competition in Ipswich so that local kids didn’t need to travel as far for dance competitions.

Kim opened up about how hard it was to start off as a non-for-profit organisation. Kim and her family did everything themselves from printing tickets to cutting up seasonal passes.

She mentioned that the first five years’ were really hard to keep the money coming in. “With a little idea from Janine, one of the teachers, over 21 years ago and the support from the local Council, ICTDF has now turned into a 6-day Group Dance Festival that involves thousands of dancers each year”.

In 2021 Kim thought that COVID would shut everything down. So, to celebrate the ICTDF’s 20th anniversary, instead of doing a big dance competition, they decided to give the money to the Ipswich Hospital because they want the money to stay in our community.

When asked if there was a specific reason she chose the Emergency Department at Ipswich Hospital, Kim replied, “The hospital always looks after the dancers. We have a dance teacher who used to suffer from asthma, and she had to come up to the hospital a couple of times a year. I always hear good responses saying she got good service from the hospital”.

“As we celebrate 20 years, we are very excited to be able to give $20,000 to the Ipswich Hospital Foundation. We thought Ipswich Hospital Foundation is where the money needed to go.”

As the official Hospital Foundation of the West Moreton region, IHF aims to establish a thriving West Moreton community in which people experience the best possible health and wellbeing. It provides support right through the region from Ipswich to Boonah, Gatton, Laidley, Esk, and more.

IHF relies on kind donations like ICTDF to best support West Moreton Health to deliver safe, quality healthcare to the local community.

To find out how you can give back to the community through a donation to your local public hospital, visit: https://www.ihfoundation.org.au or visit the Ipswich Hospital Foundation office at Level 2 Hayden Centre, 37 South Street, Ipswich.