Wentwest - Connecting Outdoors (Hills Shire) and Together in Nature (Blacktown) Project
This is a one-off grant to be awarded under the Flood Wellbeing and Resilience Small Grants. The applicant submitted the request via the formal grant's application process set up by WentWest, and was deemed to successfully meet the eligibility criteria. Following that process, the Commissioning team has met with the applicant and is satisfied that they will be capable of delivering the project proposed, which consists of nature therapy programs to promote wellbeing through connection to the local environment, as successfully delivered in other regions including the Hawkesbury/Nepean area.
The Hills:
The aim of this program is to provide short sessions that people of all ages can easily attend to reconnect to nature, to themselves, and to one another while also learning coping strategies, connecting to their community, and having access to support services. It also provides an opportunity to engage in activities they may not otherwise have an opportunity to, which they can also repeat themselves once shown how to or they can choose to keep attending at groups they meet. Thus overall, providing benefits to improve, maintain and support long-term wellbeing. In terms of the funding objectives, the program's objectives are Building individual and community resilience Enhancing social connectedness Improving access to non-clinical mental health and wellbeing services.
Nature therapy activities will include:
- Short nature meditations at the start and/or end of every event (all, tailored)
- Nature activity sessions for children: drawing, craft, etc. to be with schools, preschools or individual events (2 in-kind) (Mixed age groups)
- Nature-based experiences or exercise such as guided bushwalks/wildlife watching, outdoor yoga (7 yoa +)
- 1 wilderness therapy: an overnight camp at Broadwater, Cattai or Maroota (18yoa+)
- Working bees for new and reforming Landcare groups Blundell’s Swamp Wildlife Refuge and Broadwater) - Lower Portland and Maroota/ Cattai- 12yao +
Blacktown:
The funded project will create opportunities for people to improve their wellbeing, teach skills for long-term wellbeing and resilience, and begin establishing a community or groups of people that are more connected to one another (and can share information and promote wellbeing together long-term). It will also connect the people of Blacktown to their local natural environment to foster a sense of place, create an understanding of the unique environment in Blacktown and empower people to actively contribute to improving the environment as a community and as individuals. This will be done in two parts. Firstly, a series of accessible, engaging, and educational nature events/workshop in Blacktown. Secondly, promoting Habitat Stepping Stones which encourages people to pledge to create wildlife habitat in their own backyard and provides information and support about how to do that.
The activities in the program will focus on the wellbeing of people and the environment through nature-dose events and supporting people to join existing groups or start their own, thus providing an avenue for long-term wellbeing. They will include complementary and lifestyle interventions known to improve physical and mental health such as outdoor exercise and teaching skills for resilience.
Each activity will provide:
- meaningful exposure to nature which research has associated with numerous benefits for mental and physical health,
- opportunities to refocus attention on the beauty of nature, be physically active,
- an escape from everyday life,
- opportunities to learn about or seek further help,
- the chance to meet others and discover or form a community group,
- practice using complementary and lifestyle interventions (i.e. practical tools) for well-being and self-help (meditation, self-check-ins, support activities like drawing, and exercise)
Funding will be contributed to creating written material in different languages for different CALD communities. Hawkesbury-Nepean Landcare Network will oversee the project and carry it out, in collaboration with Habitat Stepping Stones, working at times with Blacktown City Council, and Riverstone Community Center. Other local community groups in the area may be more involved as they show interest.