This week, Resilient Kids is celebrating its one-year anniversary of supporting the health and wellbeing of young people in the Northern Rivers in the wake of the 2022 floods.
Since launching in November 2023, more than 5,300 children and young people have accessed support, including:
- 2,551 participating in school-based workshops
- 568 engaging in individual or group therapy (including counselling, therapeutic groups, and social and emotional wellbeing groups)
- 2,030 participating in funded events for community connection.
Resilient Kids is funded through a $10 million grant from the Australian Government through the National Emergency Management Agency to support children and young people to recover from trauma brought on by the 2022 floods, reduce long-term mental impacts of climate disasters and promote social and emotional wellbeing.
Pictured L-R: Jethro Vennix – program participant, Monika Wheeler – CEO Healthy North Coast, Tony Davies – CEO Social Futures.
Monika Wheeler, CEO of Healthy North Coast, acknowledged the success of the program in increasing access to a range of supports for young people in the region:
“What’s really made Resilient Kids successful is the range of supports available. From school-based programs to one-on-one counselling, we’ve been able to tailor services to fit each young person’s needs and step up, or down, as required.
“It’s also been incredible working together with a range of service providers across the Northern Rivers, allowing everyone to tap into each other’s expertise and share resources, which really strengthens the support being offered.
“By letting smaller local organisations bring their unique strengths to the table, we’re reaching even more young people in our communities and building wellbeing in our next generation.”
Social Futures is the not-for-profit organisation that, in partnership with The Family Centre and Human Nature Therapy, have been delivering the program since November 2023. Lives Lived Well has recently started delivering services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in August 2024.
Tony Davies, Social Futures CEO, celebrated the successes that Resilient Kids has seen in one year, but acknowledged that recovery is a long process:
“Social Futures is very proud to be part of a program that is helping to support our region’s greatest resource, its young people,” said Mr Davies.
“Our team has seen the Resilient Kids program have a significant positive impact on the mental health, social and emotional wellbeing of thousands of young participants, but recovery is complex and takes time.
“There remains an ongoing need for community disaster recovery support in the Northern Rivers.”
Healthy North Coast co-designed the program with children, young people, schools, families and service providers from across the Northern Rivers, drawing on findings from the Resilience Survey which was completed by 6,611 children and young people from 75 schools in the area. This led to some innovative health and wellbeing activities after feedback was taken on board, including a surfboard shaping group and an art project at Nimbin Central School.
Resilient Kids will continue to be delivered through to June 2025, with ongoing evaluation to guide and enhance the program so that it continues to meet the needs of children and young people in the Northern Rivers.
More information about the Resilient Kids program can be found at socialfutures.org.au/resilient-kids or at hnc.org.au/resilient-kids.
