World Mental Health Day (today) seems like a good day to reflect on our Happiness project from earlier in the year.

We started this project by trawling through online advice/tips/lists from reputable organisations such as Beyond Blue and Headspace … and did our best to group the ideas into a compact list of some practical things that have been shown to improve mental health and build a sense of happiness. We ended up with 12 key messages.

Then we made them into a little rhyming poem (of sorts) … with some cute animated images … just because. And we also created an A3 poster.

Our story starts with wrangling control of the seemingly uncontrollable by making your own list - that is making yourself a plan.

Then looking after yourself physically - sleeping, eating and exercising well. I don’t think these need explanation. We all know they’re the building blocks right?

The next little bracket of ideas focus on human connection - taking the time to keep up with your friends, making new friends - your neighbours are a great place to start (particularly this year), and helping out others - volunteering has been shown to have a positive effect on depression, life-satisfaction and well-being.

One interesting idea is the value of spending time in nature - did you know this is a proven way to reduce stress and lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression? We’re so lucky in our neighbourhood to have access to endless stretches of green space along the local rivers and creeks.

And then there’s the impact of a smile - when you smile your brain releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin. A smile reduces your own stress and improves the mood of those around you.

Next we explore creativity. Making the time to do what you love and putting yourself out there to learn new things contributes to an upward spiral of positive emotions, psychological well-being and feelings of flourishing in life.

And finally, we end with gratitude. Gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Amazing right? We were quite chuffed with all the things we managed to squeeze in there.

If you’d like one of these posters for your wall pop past ACC. We printed about 300 and have kept refilling our collection bin - I think there are about 30 left. Again we’d like to thank Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank for supporting this project. It really has proven particularly relevant in 2020.

And if you’d like to watch the full animation with community voices (it’s pretty cute) click here.

Hi friends, we’re looking for some people to contribute to our ‘Honestly’ project. If you‘re partial to a bit of over-sharing (eg. you like a chat at the school gate or down at the shops … or online like me!) … we’d LOVE you to contribute a handwritten letter. Don’t be shy! Start the letter ‘Dear neighbour’. 2-4 pages is enough. No need to sign it, but we’d like a hint of who you are on the envelope. So ‘from a plumber’ or ‘from a gardener’ would be great! You can just slip it under our front door if we’re not home (so it doesn’t get wet if it rains - our letterbox is a bit leaky). We’ll then copy it 30 times and put it out for other neighbourhood friends to collect and read.

Maybe you’d like to share your joy in a project you’ve undertaken, have a story to tell about a grandchild arriving, news of family overseas or just have some thoughts and feelings about this moment in time.

Nothing has to be that exciting … this project is just a little reminder that we’re all in this together … but also uniquely ourselves with our own challenges and experiences. A mechanism to help us all feel just a little bit more connected as a community.

So … we’ll look forward to receiving a flood of hand written letters under our door in the coming days!

If there’s one thing I think we’ve all learnt in 2020, it is the peril of having a plan. So, to save unnecessary heartache and grief my plan for the last 6 months has been pretty much not to have one … to take things one day at a time, perhaps two if I’m feeling ambitious (yes let’s go for a walk tomorrow my friend) or putting something off (shopping … I’ll go tomorrow).

However … this week spring has sprung, the sun has been shining and I am feeling a little more like a plan might be something to aspire to once again. And I guess the main plan we need is one for re-opening ACC.

We’ve got some ideas. For example we’re thinking of holding weekly morning teas out on the corner. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a cuppa and some cake on a Friday morning … and chat in person again?

And… we are after your ideas too!

Kalimna has made a quick online survey - just 4 questions about how you generally use the centre, how you have been engaged with us over the last 6 months and your thoughts on programs and priorities for the bright, shiny new future that surely awaits us all in 2021.

Click here to give us your two-bobs!

Thanks. We’re actually super interested in your input and would be very thankful if you could take a couple of minutes to give us your thoughts!

All things being equal, we will be able to resume our Women in the Shed program (because it falls under the umbrella of adult education) when metropolitan Melbourne moves to stage 3 of reopening - currently scheduled for 26 October.

From this date (fingers and toes crossed) we will run two session of this program on Mondays and Tuesdays over 6 weeks. There are currently seven people booked in and we have up to five additional spots if you’d like to join in too.

Jen Dentoom, who teaches this course, is a welder and mosaic artist and is responsible for the fantastic metal and mosaic signs and sculptures around our centre. She knows her tools and has an infectious can-do attitude. This is a great opportunity to get familiar and comfortable with drills and dremmels, jigsaws and more in a safe and friendly supervised space. This program runs as a low-cost subsidised Learn Local course, so it is also very affordable.

To find out more and book in just click here.

Victoria’s neighbourhood houses emerged at the grassroots level in the 1970s (and began to be recognised as a collective in the 1980s) - community organisations created and driven by women, primarily for women, enabling and encouraging 50% of our population that had been largely confined to living private lives, to take-up new opportunities to participate more fully in the economy and public life.

However, nothing’s simple … and when our society finally allowed women to work post-children (this concept in itself is hard to imagine today for anyone like me born after this era), and to divorce without fault (providing a whole other level of autonomy), many women discovered that in reality their ability to seize the opportunities was severely limited by a raft of missing/absent social support structures. In this vacuum they set about creating them for themselves.

The new grassroots place-based neighbourhood house model that emerged consistently included some mix of childcare and occasional care to support women who increasingly wanted or needed to participate in the economy, playgroups and babysitting clubs for women who needed a break and/or needed to build a community family, and adult education for women keen to build their skill sets.

Alongside these services the houses became hubs to share, learn and access creative skills and talents. They also embraced physical health classes, nutrition education programs and mental health support services. As a twin born in the 1970s, I can remember many an hour spent at a neighbourhood house in the Dandenongs - which hosted Australian Multiple Birth Association meetings (my mum was actively involved in this support service at the time).

This week is Women’s Health Week, and it is a great time to reflect on the role that neighbourhood houses historically played, and continue today to play, in every aspect of promoting and underpinning women’s health.

Playgroups, community lunches, line dancing and choir, women in the shed programs, craft club, community markets supporting local makers and micro businesses, counselling … these are just some of the services we offer at ACC, and we’re just one example.

Neighbourhood houses began life, and continue today, to focus on providing, promoting and building social, emotional, physical, mental, community, environmental and economic health and well-being for the marginalised in our communities.

Yes, the remit has broadened - in 2020 neighbourhood houses deliberately include services for the whole community.

On the other hand the fight for equity and access for women that was at their foundation is not forgotten. Women’s health, in the most holistic sense, remains a central tenet, and I would suggest is still part of the core business of most neighbourhood houses across Victoria today.

To find out more about Women’s Health Week click here.