Page 22 - Tertiary and Vocational Education, 2022
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tertiary & vocational education
Edition 2
Mignon’s tackling mental health in the regions By Lakshmi Ganapathy
MIGNON Dickson didn’t know what she wanted to do when she left school, but after years of working in hospitality, the 35 year old felt it was time for a change. She was drawn to a Bachelor of Social Work at La Trobe University’s Albury-Wodonga campus, wanting to work in child protection and mental health. “My eldest daughter’s grandparents do foster care,” Ms Dickson said. “I’ve seen the system, I’ve seen the bad side of it, but I’ve also seen the amazing side of it. “I want to help children, to show them that life is okay, even though they’ve been through what they’ve been through.” Ms Dickson’s passion has inspired her to take on the Rural Health Innovation Sprint - a five day intensive where students from a variety of disciplines collaborate on a common health issue. “It’s been this crazy, hectic, amazing process,” she said. “There’s social workers, there’s a psychology student, biomed,
nursing, but when we’re all in a room and discussing, something just clicks.” Run by the La Trobe Rural Health School, this year’s sprint focuses on youth mental health. Mignon’s group explored how to empower youth to tackle their mental health before they reach crisis point, thus reducing the strain on emergency services. “I feel like we need to make it part of everyday conversation - we need to let them know it’s normal so they know not to bottle it up,” she said. The seven students involved engaged with a variety of organisations, including headspace, Retro Café Youth council and the Albury-Wodonga council, presenting their findings on Friday in a showcase event. The Sprint has given Mignon lots to think about when it comes to helping youth. “Throughout our conversations with them, there was a common theme; a strong connection to their communities and family. “Those bonds are the strong foundations needed to help support each other and improve mental health.”
SPRINT: Students from a variety of disciplines including Mignon Dickson (right) collaborated on a common health issue during the Rural Health Innovation Sprint.
LA TROBE
ALBURY-WODONGA 21.08.22 La Trobe Open Day
La Trobe University — CRICOS Provider Code Number 00115M
OPEN DAY