Our Wheel of Wellbeing Coordinator, Angie Horchner, is working hard to build up the Wheel of Wellbeing Hub in the Banana Shire.
The Wheel of Wellbeing is a framework, informed by international research and positive psychology, which can assist you to increase your capacity for happiness. By outlining simple and easy strategies that you can implement every day, the WoW framework is an excellent tool for helping us all to be happier, healthier and more mentally resilient. The Wheel of Wellbeing (WoW) teaches simple techniques to promote wellbeing, using a positive psychology approach. WoW has a holistic approach, focussing on body, mind, spirit, people, place and planet. Facilitators are taught to adapt the techniques to suit their community – the people, the place and the resources they have available to them.
The Central Highlands Mental Health Wellbeing Hub, in partnership with CQRH, facilitated a number of successful workshops in Biloela last year. The Banana Shire Hub was established late last year and recruitment of new members is ongoing. The Wheel of Wellbeing Hub is not only centred around community workshops and interconnection, but on an ongoing community drive to educate people on how they can improve their own mental wellbeing. The approach includes: building on current capacity to bring together information on the assets already in the community that support mental health and wellbeing in the local area, and developing strategies to raise awareness of these supports; gathering information directly from the community about the current levels of wellbeing; identifying what more could be done to ensure long term good mental health and wellbeing; and effectively communicating this information to appropriate audiences.
A key part of this project is to develop capacity in individuals in the local community to actively participate in each of these elements.This means that we need volunteers who are passionate about their community. There is no formal agreement for volunteers in this project and they are able to facilitate community activities that make them happy when they have the time. We are also looking to partner with individuals and organisations that can provide resources. These resources can be something as simple as cut off bits of old ribbon. If you are interested in getting involved, please click here. No experience is necessary, just eagerness.
There are a number of workshops and community wellbeing activities being planned for the year. For more information on the ones currently being advertised, click here. Wheel of Wellbeing volunteers and facilitators are also happy to attend other community events and deliver wellbeing activities. If you would like more information about this, please email Angie at angie.horchner@cqrdgp.com.au.
Angie has been continuing her own professional development as a Wheel of Wellbeing facilitator by attending workshops in Brisbane. She also been liaising with other WoW facilitators, hubs and the mental health commission to share ideas and experience. She has also been networking with local organisations to share with them what would be the immense benefits to their organisation of a workforce and community which is happier and more resilient. If you think your organisation could benefit from this framework, or would like to partner in community wellbeing activities, please contact Angie via the email above.
Now the groundwork is almost complete, it is time to kick this project into gear and roll on forward!