Capricornia Catchments through the Commonwealth/State Bushfires Cat C Funding brought creativity, connection, and education to the Mt Morgan & surrounding community. This was to help improve health and wellbeing and to teach coping mechanisms and resilience to the residence so that they can recover from fire and other natural disasters that they have experienced over the past 10 years and to be better prepared for future disasters.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Sessions
These wellbeing workshops were comprised of four components; Mind, Body, Soul, and Grow.
Mind – Creativity & gratitude not only enhances our own lives but also the lives of others. Activities to foster mindfulness included
- Making fruit jars with an inspirational message to have with family or friends.
- Decorate & writing on a stone a positive message for someone else to receive
- Make a glitter jar & write a positive word or words for someone else to receive
Body – Can change your social wellbeing, physical & psychological health in minutes by releasing “happy hormones” through laughing yoga.
Soul – Energize the soul, reduce stress & anxiety through craft & creativity with
- paper art.
- making a smudge stick.
- photo art.
Grow – Through nature by planting a seeding to take home & continue it’s journey to flowering or fruiting.
Back to Country – Explore and create workshops
These workshops were about learning techniques to deepening ones connection with nature, by using the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch to express experiences with journaling. Based on the principles of Shinrin Yoku, connecting to nature can restore energy and mood as well as clear the mind. These workshops involved the following:
- Ground – Reconnect to the earth with simple exercises to assist in decompressing from the hustle and bustle of life.
- Explore – Taking a slow walk outdoors and exploring different flowers, plants and landscape, tuning into the environment and taking note of what you’re drawn to.
- Create – Clay diffuser discs using natural materials such as seed pots and leaves to create patterns, which can be added to a necklace or keyring.
- Tree & Me – Taking a moment of silence to completely tune in to the sounds of the birds and leaves as well as identifying your positive attributes in connection with nature.
- Tea Ceremony – A tea ceremony with native flavours prepares you to transition back into daily life. Open discussion is encouraged about the days experiences.
Art and Wellness Day
The Art & Wellness Day at Mt Morgan provided activities focused of “doing and being”. Attendees learn activities that help build resilience and coping mechanisms for improving mental health. There were two traditional owner guest speakers educating on the benefits of the bush. As well as a hands on craft activity in an outdoor setting.
Testimonies from the workshop participants
“I was lucky enough to be able to make 2 sessions in the Mount Morgan area and was very impressed by the workshops. The Capricorn Catchments team are not only very professional, but caring and empathetic to the needs of the community. They understand the regions wants and needs and I believe everyone who attended gained something from the workshops… I know I did…!” – Alison
“When We think back to Tuesday morning, we feel our senses awaken. The smell of the plants ready to be arranged and tied in the paperbark to create a smudge stick is a key memory. The feel of the potting mix and seedlings returns to us as well. Finally, the sounds of hilarity as we embarked on laughing yoga
Thank you for reminding us of the pleasure of tactile, simple and inexpensive activities.
A very memorable way to get the important message of disaster preparedness and fire safety across.” – Jo and Nexx
Posted 15.08.2022
