The past two years of pandemic life have posed great challenges; impacting our sense of belonging and connection, and taking a toll on the mental health and wellbeing of our community.
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The Know Yourself, Show Yourself, Grow Yourself Mental Health Festival was harvested from this place of challenge. As a central heartbeat in the community, Sunshine Heights Primary School knew we had an important role to play in reconnecting our people and creating a safe and inclusive place where people could know themselves, show themselves and grow themselves.
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Knowing that our community in Sunshine, and wider Brimbank, is rich with cultural diversity, knowledge, skills and stories, and is an abundant source from which both learning and healing can take place, a community mental health festival - created by the people, for the people - seemed the perfect vehicle to not only bring the rich
tapestry of Sunshine and Brimbank together after the isolation of Covid, but to also help us all play an important role in addressing the growing mental health and wellbeing needs of our community with a wide reach.
The festival will bring together local diverse community members with a range of expertise to deliver workshops, training sessions, community outreach, guest speaking, and creative community events; creating a launch pad for both presenters and participants to not only express themselves, their stories and their experiences through diverse cultural forms, but to encourage a greater sense of belonging through that shared experience.
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We truly believe that together we can do great things through using cultural and social knowledge and expression to start important conversations around mental health and wellbeing. We aim to build and empower our collective community strengths and create an ecosystem of support.
Sunshine Heights PS
At Sunshine Heights Primary School, we believe that our students should graduate with more than just good results; that they should be well-rounded young people who are open-minded, connected, motivated and motivating and who know their unique qualities and strengths and acknowledge those of others too. Which is why we chose to represent our aspirations through a poem. This poem aims to let people know exactly what feelings, attributes and ideas we want to harvest in our school and the rhythm and style that encapsulates Sunshine Heights PS.
This poem that stands before you is what we want our students, teachers, leaders, staff and community to aspire to.
Sail into a universe of possibility
Delve into the unlimited energy of the human imagination
Inspire and grow hearts and minds
Nurture creativity and curiosity
Through courage, connections, commitments and collaboration
Discover the wonder and uniqueness in you
Welcome to Sunshine Heights Primary School
BEHIND THE FESTIVAL
Francine Sculli
Francine Sculli is the Wellbeing, Community & Engagement lead teacher at Sunshine Heights Primary School and the foundational organiser of Know, Show, Grow Mental Health Festival. She is driven by a fierce passion for mental health, social justice, community and creativity.