Art of the Minds gears up for Mental Health Week

Celebrate National Mental Health Week with the Surf Coast community group, Art of the Minds.

Art of the Minds is a charity based not-for-profit group, passionate in educating the community on creatively managing mental health and wellbeing through the arts.

The group hosts several events across the Surf Coast Shire, using incredible local talent to initiate important community conversation.

Founder and mental health educator Jules Haddock said she believed in the significance of creativity behind managing mental illness.

“Art of the Minds is all about creative conversations – that’s our big way of educating people,” Jules said.

“Everything we do for Art of the Minds has a creativity focus, but the underlying thing is that we are trying to get messages across about mental health and destigmatising mental health.”

Art of the Minds will offer a week of art and education based celebrations in the Surf Coast region, held from October 5-14 in line with National Mental Health Week.

The interactive events will be open to all ages of the community, with a unique focus on creative educational conversations around the prevention and management of mental illness.

The events will include an official shire launch, musical performances, theatre shows, yoga and meditation sessions, mindful walks, a Mad Hatters Ball, a charity golf event and a free professional education seminar.

Art of the Minds will also be running an art exhibition all week, showcasing local artists who manage their mental wellbeing through the arts.

“Non-confrontational pieces of education encourage people to start to realise neighbours are sometimes really struggling,” Jules said.

“As soon as we start talking the language, people start to receive it. Most people know someone – they just need permission to talk about mental illness.”

With one in four youth experiencing a mental illness every year, the community group believe in hosting educational opportunities that both showcase regional artists and highlight the importance of exercising mindfulness.

Jules said she was also thrilled at the level of community participation in supporting local Surf Coast talent.

“There’s been people that have stepped forward and are facilitating programs or involved in them just because they believe it.

“Our events are very subtle ways to start to introduce the conversation, and we showcase some great local talent.

“Art of the Minds puts the Surf Coast on the map as a wellbeing community.”

For more information about Art of the Minds and to register for the events, visit artoftheminds.org.au.