Executive Summary of day one of Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA) Incorporated, Australia Second Annual Stress Management Revolutions Summit in Collaboration with Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Int’l, held on the 28th of August 2021 at 09:00am GMT.

STRESS MANAGEMENT REVOLUTIONS SUMMIT 2021

             THEME: STRESS MANAGEMENT REVOLUTIONS

Executive Summary of day one of Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA) Incorporated, Australia Second Annual Stress Management Revolutions Summit in Collaboration with Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Int’l, held on the 28th of August 2021 at 09:00 am GMT.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Moderator: Katinda Ndola, Australia Empowerment Queen, THE FOUNDER OF confidenceandselfesteem.com AND THE AUTHOR OF “THE BIG COMEBACK”.

Hon. Maria Vamvakinou MP, Federal Labor Member for Calwell, Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration.

Jasmina Siderovski, World Greatness Book Inductee, Chief Executive Officer, Editor-in-Chief, and Publisher eYs Magazine – Sydney, Australia

Prof. Jude Ediae – Summit Chairperson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA) Inc.

Amadi Vivian Akuyoma, GYMHA Board of Director.

DeepShikha Tripathi, Counselling Psychologist, Life Coach, Founder at Prayas, and GYMHA Training Manager.

David Smile, Afro-Latin Dance Instructor, Australia.

Edith Wanyonyi, GYMHA Advocacy Manager/ Counseling Psychologist/ Community Development Worker.

  1. SUCHI ~ Laughter Coach, Singapore.

Prof (Dr.) Raj Kumar Singh, Dean (R&D) & HOD (Department of Commerce), Chairperson, Centre For Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Skill Development School of Management Sciences, Varanasi, India.

Prof. Peter A. Bheda, Principal at PB Global Advisory LLC, Chairman & CEO of Frontera Hotel Group, Special US Envoy & Board Advisor to the GYMHA, Australia.

Cr Dr Joseph Masika OAM, Councillor for Woodlands Ward, South Australia, Former AFRICA UNION Regional Delegate for Australia and Asia, Special Board Advisor at GYMHA.

Dr Beatrice Dupwa, Midwife, Ministry of Health Zimbabwe and Child Care, Zimbabwe, National HIV Testing Services training officer.

Amb. Kibe Edwin Gitau, Certified Addictions Psychologist, Founding Director at Uhai Centre, GYMHA Ambassador.

Laura McAndrew, Chair of Fundraising at Disability Achievement Center Florida, US.

Amb. Blessing Obaniyi, CEO/Founder at Blessing Obaniyi Foundation (B.O Foundation).

Dr. Rossana Dragani, Founder at Forgive and Thrive Podcast.

Commissioner Niharika Hiremath, National Youth Mental Health Advocate l Graduate Psych Student l Commissioner at the NMHC l CALD Youth Peer Support Worker.

Sandeep Nath, Summit Convener, Event Manager at GYMHA, Founder at RENEWALism, Inner Power, Energy & Mindfulness Coach.

Karen Chaston, Co-founder of the Chaston Centre.

Dr. Martin Plowman, Project Lead, Culturally Safe Practice at Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV).

Dr. Francis Acquah, Clinical Director at Positive Mental Health Program (PMHP) and the President at the Mental Health and Wellbeing Foundation.

Dr Elizabeth Njani, Mental Health Specialist, Research Director and Trainer at GYMHA.

Amb. Adigun Temitayo, President/Co-Founder at Wheels of Hope Rising Foundation, Nigeria Chairperson and Vice President of Africa Project Management and Development at the Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation – United States.

Dr. David David, Communication and Information Director at GYMHA | Founder/CEO at Nigerian Books of Record Research Center | Founder/CEO of Record Breakers Books | Founder/CEO, READS Campaign Africa.

Dr. Sathiya (Sam) Ramakrishnan, Coach & Consultant – SMB HEALTH.

Dr. Rania Lanpou, Global Educator, STEM Instructor, Greek Astronomy and Space Company (Annex Salamis), Greek Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs.

Prof. Moinuddin Chowdhury, President & CEO, Society for Leadership Skills Development (SLSD).

Sandra Anyahaebi, Psychologist | Lecturer | Speaker | Trainer, Universal Prevention Curriculum | Founder, Psychebabble Foundation.

Amb. Aderinwale Zainab Adewunmi, Author and Chief Executive Officer at Eartco Counselling and Consulting Limited.

 

Special thanks to:

GYMHA board of directors and Special Advisors, Planning committee members, Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Intl, The BIG Comeback, Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation, Victoria Government, Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, Nigeria Society of Victoria, Wellbeing Health Retreats, PB Global Advisory LLC, Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative (MHEI), Greek Astronomy and Space Company (Annex Salamis), Sandeep Nath, Center for Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development (CEPASD), Wheel of Hope Rising Foundation, Blessing Obaniyi Foundation, Africause, New Hope Foundation, Supportive Activists Foundation, Prayas Foundation, Live and Not Die (L.A.N.D), All Lives Do Exist and Women’s Lives Do Exist (ALDEWLDE), Forgive and Thrive, Karen Chaston, My Care Buddy, David Smile Dance Academy, Icare Sustainably, Psychebabble Foundation, Society for Leadership Skills Development (SLSD), Varma Therapy and Yoga Therapy.

 

EVENT SUMMARY

The summit commenced at 09:00 am GMT and was moderated by Katinda Ndola. Participants were welcomed and a formal introduction of the speakers for the first day was made. The participants comprised of a diverse group of about 87 persons from all over the world.

Founder and CEO of Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA), Prof. Jude Ediae, who was also the host, gave some opening remarks in which he welcomed all the participants, panellists, and board members present. Prof. Jude also explained briefly the purpose of the summit as well as its aims and objectives.

The first speech of the event was a keynote address by Hon. Maria Vamvakinou who kick-started her speech by congratulating the organizers of the summit. She described the event as one that ‘seeks to create opportunity for discussion and awareness about issues that affect multicultural communities.’ She did also point that her role focuses on using her experiences, expertise and position as MP to advocate for the issues faced by such groups. Hon. Vamvakinou noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the levels of stress and mental illness increased dramatically and hence the need to respond to the mental and psychological problems involved. Hon. Vamvakinou mentioned that the more success we have in integrating diverse people into the community, the more success we will have in alleviating people’s stress and improving their mental health.

The second speaker, Jasmina Siderovski focused most on media and its effects on mental health. Being in media herself, she has found that as much as there are benefits of media, there is also a negative aspect to it. Therefore, there is a great need for education on how to use it responsibly. In her words, ‘it is ironic how a technology like the internet that is designed to bring people together has actually made us feel lonelier and more isolated, hence fuelling problems like anxiety and stress.’ Jasmina pointed out that media can be used positively for communication, networking, educational and volunteering purposes. but can also be a conduit of feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, isolation, fear of missing out and cyber bullying. She finally talked about how doing more physical activities like gardening, exercising, and eating healthy can help us readjust the way we interact with media and achieve a positive mentality.

Prof. Jude Ediae was the next to speak as he introduced and launched the new GYMHA T-shirt now available for purchase for 39 AUD, including posting. He described it as a token of support which would go a long way in providing awareness and saving lives. He also did take the time to express gratitude to everyone who had contributed to its realization. Amadi Vivian Akuyoma who spoke immediately after him shared a similar sentiment and urged all the GYMHA volunteers to get one for themselves.

The next speaker was DeepShikha Tripathi who came in to launch the Psychological First Aid course being offered by GYMHA. The core idea of the PFA course is to build hope and resilience in crisis survivors as well as trauma patients or survivors of natural disasters. She mentioned that after doing this course, one would definitely be of tremendous value to the society. If we must alleviate psychological pain, we must take action. Taking this course is an important step in doing that.

‘Everyone knows dancing is a good way to relieve stress, and that’s why we will try to make that happen today!’ These were the words of David Smile before he proceeded to lead the attendants into an invigorating and refreshing session of three consecutive Afro-Latin dance routines.

Edith Wanyonyi came in next with a talk centred on childhood trauma, the effects of trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She explained the relationship between childhood adversity and the traumatic experiences that children may go through. She further emphasized the importance of public awareness and being there for such children as studies show that people who experience childhood adversity are more likely to have mental and physical issues.

The next speaker was MS. Suchi whose topic was ‘How to Develop Greater Mindfulness, Compassion and Self-compassion.’ Her talk focused on understanding the functions of ‘happy’ hormones and ‘stress’ hormones and the activities we can do to get healthy dosages of ‘happy’ hormones to relieve stress. These activities include completing tasks, celebrating little wins, not postponing happiness, doing physical activity, playing with a baby or a pet or just doing something that makes you laugh. She then ended her speech with an amusing laughter exercise that left the audience in a joyous mood.

Next up was a speech on ‘Understanding the Structural Causes and Symptoms of Stress’. In this speech Prof (Dr.) Raj Kumar Singh expounded on several causes of stress and how we can deal with them. He did clarify that everyone at some point will have to face adversity but should never give up as every adverse situation is a chance for opportunity. Stress has less to do with what is actually going on in life and more to do with our thoughts and how we perceive things. He also drew much wisdom from Indian spiritual philosophy that he shared with the participants.

Prof. Peter Bheda was next to speak on inequality in business schools. He cited, among others, the influence of racism in schools and how the curriculum has to change in order to conquer this injustice. He encouraged seeking for professional help from culturally competent therapists when necessary and to make use of free resources and platforms like GYMHA, peer support groups and faith-based groups. He ended by describing the mental health problem as a global pandemic that should be given more attention, citing the youth as the most vulnerable. We all have a moral obligation to help the youths, as they are the future of the world.

Next was Cr Dr Joseph Masika speaking on how to overcome challenges and manage adversity. He reiterated that in as much as we shall all go through adversity, overcoming challenges is a necessary step on the road to greatness. Such victories over hardship help us build resilience. He also noted that we must never allow ourselves to get caught up emotionally that we shut off our objective reasoning faculties. Every challenge successfully conquered serves to strengthen not only our will but also our confidence in our ability to confront future obstacles.

The role and importance of forgiveness in the healing process was the focus of the next speech by Dr. Beatrice Dupwa. She defined forgiveness as a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you. It does not mean forgetting, excusing, or condoning offences. She further proceeded to elaborate on the advantages of forgiving and letting go of past pain.

Kibe Edwin went on to present how to build relationships, or work with difficult people without becoming stressed. A difficult person, he described, is someone who has difficulties understanding emotional states and what others are going through. They are irritational and obstinate. He shared his own experience of how he found inner peace with a difficult person at his place of work. His speech was one that called for personal reflection and asking ourselves the question, ‘are we difficult people ourselves?’

Laura McAndrew’s topic was on the positive psychology, and the impact of gratitude. In her words, ‘There is a power that comes when we choose to have a positive mindset. Sometimes the world may take away our ability to be positive, and so we need to make a daily intentional commitment to be grateful.’ She added, ‘Much of the younger generation’s self-esteem and social identity is based on their online identity, which to many is even more valuable than their real identity. Online platforms can both connect our youths to the world and cause a sense of stress at the same time.’ She appealed to guardians to teach their children how to remain positive in difficult and uncertain times. She ended her speech by giving some tips to help maintain one’s own positive mindset daily.

BO Foundation’s musical performance was emotional and touching. The piece of music shared centered on showing love. It asked the pertinent question ‘Where is the love in your heart?’ Its core message was that when we are in positions to help others in need, we should choose to do so. ‘Give a little love, show a little love.’

The next speech was a personal testimony by Dr. Rossana Dragani. She presented herself as a person who went through a burnout and suffered from depression, anxiety and PTSD. She experienced the stigma associated with mental health from someone very close to her, her mother. She shared her story with passion and ended by giving three tips that could help anyone going through a similar situation. These were living in purpose, cultivating self-care, and cultivating resilience.

‘How to Handle Grief and Loss’ was the topic presented by Karen Chaston, while Sandeep Nath’s topic was ‘How to Design Your Life and Work without Stress.’

Master Classes

‘How to plan meaningful activities for World Mental Health Day (10th Oct.) to increase engagement and teamwork all year long.’

Niharika Hiremath:

Using her experience volunteering and working in both local and national mental health organizations, Niharika described what some meaningful activities would look like.

Tapping into the lived experience expertise that is present within the organization.

Co-design, involving the people for who the information is tailored for in the initial design of the programs and activities.

Being unique and thinking outside the box even though this may be difficult due to the current pandemic situation we are in.

Dr. Martin Plowman:

Despite the pandemic and all of its negatives, Dr. Plowman cited some positives that are taking place specifically in Victoria such as;

A once in a generation reform of the Victorian mental health system by the royal commission.

The Victorian state government has promised to put in place all the recommendations from the royal commission.

It has also promised to put 3.8 billion AUD towards mental health reform over the next 10 years.

He further added that it is important that the mental health system is made more culturally safe and competent so that it is able to meet the needs of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Dr. Francis Acquah:

He gave a brief message on how to keep ourselves healthy and also develop our wellness tools. The only way we can achieve this, he said, is by discovering ourselves and realizing that we all need each other and must be there for one another. He did also contrast the difference between the collective communal African culture and the personal individualistic western culture and hence why it is important that we become intentional and deliberate about reaching out and interacting with the people around us. Having conversations, sharing meals and playing music together are all great ways to stay positive and balance our lives.

Dr. Elizabeth Njani:

She gave several important tips on how to organize, run, and ensure good engagement on the activities throughout the year. These include

Needs assessment

Identifying the expected outcomes

Breaking the agenda into mini activities

Identifying the target audience and appropriate information delivery method

Monitoring and evaluation throughout the year

Ensuring continual advocacy for inclusion and participation.

DeepShikha Tripathi:

Her first message was that we all need emotional detoxification and should not focus on physical detoxification alone. The steps to such a detoxification include

Being aware of your emotions

Going on a complaint cleanse

Journaling in the morning

Not holding grudges

Being in sense with your sense of purpose

Spending more time outside rather than on gadgets.

Adigun Temitayo:

Adigun focused on the impact of sleep on mental health. He observed that with the increase in stress, depression, failure, and disappointment in the world, more people are finding it hard to rest at the appropriate time. This has a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of people. There is a correlation between sleep, mental health, and wellbeing. Whenever we do not get enough sleep, our brains continue to work constantly, leading to a negative and unproductive impact. He concluded by emphasizing that only a stable mind can be productive. Sleep plays a huge role in this productivity, as it heals and restores our brains to their optimum state.

Dr. David David:

Dr. David spoke about maintaining good mental health in workplaces by taking time out for recreational purposes. He drew from his own experience as an employer to share some of the practices he uses to ensure that his employees’ mental health is kept in good shape. He further talked passionately about the need to advocate for the underprivileged youths who roam the streets. ‘Every human deserves happiness’, he said. He finally shared how his organization is working with some of these youths on the streets to provide them with basic needs, counselling, and scholarships.

Dr. Sathiya Ramakrishnan:

He first mentioned emotional intelligence training and stated that emotions are our first line of response; anything that happens to the body is through emotions. He further emphasized how important it is to understand our emotions. He suggested that emotional intelligence training is for anyone and everyone. He categorized emotional intelligence into four groups. These are­ self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. He recommended that people should do at least three activities that can boost these four concepts, and it would really go a long way in empowering and making a difference in people’s lives.

Dr. Rania Lampou:

She began by mentioning the pandemic and the consequential health risks, such as, depression, anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic stress. She said neuroscience or neuro-education is now very important as it helps us to understand the inner workings of the brain and to plan strategies to tackle challenges and problems that befall it. People should focus on developing social skills so as to avoid stress. She recommended that opportunities be made for students to engage in collaborative work and group activities such as debates and public speaking presentations. She highlighted the role of emotion in learning and said there is need for activities that offer strong emotion stimuli for knowledge to be absorbed easily.

Prof. Moinuddin Chowdhury:

His talk focused on emotional intelligence. He devised “5S’s” for people to easily remember, that is, S standing for self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, social skills and self-motivation. In this presentation he shared a concept under self-motivation which he abbreviated ‘PREM’ which interestingly, can be directly translated to love in the Indian language, P for positive feeling, R for relationship maintenance, E for engaging activities and M for meaningful act. He concluded by encouraging everyone to practice ‘PREM’ and therefore get rid of all mental anxieties.

Sandra Anyahaebi:

She talked of her experience in the mental health field and how people are still sceptical about the issue in some parts of the world, especially in her country, Nigeria. And so, she created a mental health organization that raises awareness and offer mental health services. She mentioned things that can be done to keep mental health in check, such as, games, yoga, and most importantly, social interactions. She encouraged everyone to engage in it during the Mental Health Day. She concluded by mentioning the use of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and emphasized that things to do with mental health should not be limited to the “Mental Health Day” only but should be done throughout the year.

Amb. Aderinwale Zainab Adewunmi:

She started by reminding people that health and wellbeing should always be prioritized. She focused on mental health, which she said comprises of three things: emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. She recommended that people visit doctors at least twice a year to do a check up on their health even if they feel well. She ended her part by sharing a few tips to stay in good shape: keeping the brain relaxed by spending some time free of any activity, socializing with people, and having at least six hours of sleep.

SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS

Live dance routine for stress relief

Quizzes competition, Prizes, and Awards

Over 40 local and international keynote speakers and panelists expert’s presentations

Several powerful masterclasses

High energy activity with exercises, live music, drama, poem recitation

Competition and awards

Certificate of Participation

Global scholarships and opportunities

Launching of PFA online course and GYMHA T-shirt

Networking

CONTACT US

DAY 2

Theme: Stress management revolutions

Executive Summary of day two of Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA) Incorporated, Australia Second Annual Stress Management Revolutions Summit in Collaboration with Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Int’l, held on the 29th of August 2021 at 09:00am GMT.

 

GUEST SPEAKERS

Moderator: Mahmooda Khan, GYHMA Ambassador, Chairperson at New Hope Foundation

  1. Rance Lazarus, Guitarist/Singer-Songwriter, Odyssey musical band, and GYMHA Ambassador
  2. Seetha Segeran, Personal Development Trainer, Lifestyle Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Author, Mentor
  3. Neepa Choksi, Purpose Coach | Narrative Practitioner | Volunteer| Mentor|Access Bars Practitioner | Co-Founder Nourish to Cherish
  4. Dr Pramod Kumar Rajput, Sr. Vice President & Vertical Head at Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited, GYMHA Marketing Director
  5. Rishikesh Kumar, Author, Motivational Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Faculty & Coordinator – Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC), PCET’s S. B. Patil Institute of Management, Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA🇮🇳
  6. Mireille Toulekima, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Petroleum Engineering/Energy/STEM Business Development, International Speaker
  7. Chipo Juru, Paediatric Speech Pathologist, Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Regional Advisory Council Member
  8. Ngosa Bwalya, Musician, GYMHA Ambassador, Electrical engineer
  9. Victor Perton, Presenter Chief Optimism Officer, The Centre for Optimism
  10. Anthony Neale, GYMHA Chairperson, Governance, high performance wellbeing organizational consultant, wellbeing health retreats

 

Special thanks to:

GYMHA board of directors and Special Advisors, Planning committee members, Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Intl, The BIG Comeback, Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation, Victoria Government, Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, Nigerian Society of Victoria (NSV), Wellbeing Health Retreats, PB Global Advisory LLC, Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative (MHEI), Greek Astronomy and Space Company (Annex Salamis), Sandeep Nath, Center for Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development (CEPASD), Wheel of Hope Rising Foundation, Blessing Obaniyi Foundation, Africause, New Hope Foundation, Supportive Activists Foundation, Prayas Foundation, Live and Not Die (L.A.N.D), All Lives Do Exist and Women’s Lives Do Exist (ALDEWLDE), Forgive and Thrive, Karen Chaston, My Care Buddy, David Smile Dance Academy, Media 7, Icare Sustainably, Psychebabble Foundation, Society for Leadership Skills Development (SLSD), Varma Therapy and Yoga Therapy.

 

EVENT SUMMARY

The second day of the summit commenced at 09:00 am GMT and was moderated by Mahmooda Khan. Participants were welcomed and a formal introduction of the speakers for the first day was made. The participants comprised a diverse group of individuals from all over the world who were about 74 persons in number. A short recap of the previous day was also made before the speakers of the second day begun.

Rance Lazarus shared a beautiful song which he titled ‘the truth’. The song as he explained it, talks about the reality of life and how he has realized many truths through the journey of life, that life comes with many experiences, grief and loss of friends and how inevitable these terrible ordeals are. Above all he reminded us the sweet and comforting words ‘Whatever happens in life it’s always going to be okay, there is a light that always guides you through darkness’.

Seetha Segeran talked about vulnerability which she termed ‘The Unrecognized Strength for Wellness’. She mentioned that there are many emotions that are attached to it and emphasized that vulnerability as many people think is never a sign of weakness nor is it a dark deep emotion; rather, it can be a sign of strength. She then highlighted the benefits that come with vulnerability which are, trust, intimacy, personal growth and improvement. She referenced the topic to two important people, one being her father from whom she learnt a lesson of how beneficial it is to open up ourselves to people and getting to learn many things from them and appreciating their differences. The other person she mentioned is Anne Frank a German diarist who went through the ordeal of the holocaust. From her life people were highly inspired by the strength she gained from the vulnerability that she faced.

 

Dr. Neepa Choksi shared the topic: ‘Employment Readiness, Work ethics and Self-discovery’. She first talked of employment readiness, there always comes a time when a person has to get a job and work for a living but it’s not everyone who can be an entrepreneur and starts his own thing, there is a need of someone who already has something going, that is, an employer. In order to be employed, we need to be ready, to be professionally skilled for the job and to be flexible so as to keep up with the modern changes and technology upgrades that advance with time. She highlighted a very important factor that finishing tertiary education and getting a degree doesn’t mean that all is set to get a job or it’s going to come naturally, there’s more to getting ready for employment, one should also have some other life skills to collaborate and participate in teamwork. She then talked of ethics, there are always rules to follow in certain workplaces and it is vital to keep in check the way one carries himself around the workplace and also the way of communicating with others. She subsequently brought up the issue of self-discovery and urged people to keep on upgrading, associate with others and to know our purpose and what we want in life.

 

Dr Pramod Kumar Rajput talked about the topic, ‘Emotional response to workplace stress’. He first mentioned the brain, how it has two sides, the rational part and the emotional part. It then follows that there are also two types of people, the ones with high emotional quotient and the others with low emotional quotient and it is best to be of high emotional quotient for good decision making and problem solving. He recommended that people should be focused and connected with their workmates to be able to tackle stress. He made a strong statement in a humorous way, that work should be with pleasure and not with pressure. Stress is inevitable and there are two types of stress, positive stress and negative stress. The former fuels us and make us go forward but the latter pulls us back so he urged us to create positive stress which allows us to move ahead. He concluded with points which are of great importance, awareness of our stress levels, having right people to talk to, taking time to respond, ability to set boundaries and being calm with the situation.

 

Prof. Rishikesh Kumar talked about the topic, ‘How to determine future workforce needs’ and this was more of an encouraging and motivating topic. He focused mainly on the skill set one should possess in order to have a job, that is, problem solving skills and technical skills. Communication, as he put it, is a fundamental need in any job. He spoke also on the issue of creating jobs for the future and mentioned emphatically that degrees cannot get any jobs for us, we need to have the skill set, a formidable personality and also acceptance; he emphasized that we should accept challenges and not run away from them.

 

Mireille Toulekima presented the topic titled, ‘Recognizable signs that you are stressed in your workplace’. She remarked that stress is rising in the workplace and that it is now at its highest point due to the pandemic. It is important to educate people and equip them with the tools and strategies to identify and keep the stress under control. Most importantly she talked of embracing the stress; getting rid of the negative stress and turning it into positive stress that drives us forward. She identified many signs of stress, some of them being, anxiety, fear, high sensitivity, anger bursts, aggressions, loss of sleep and most sadly loss of commitment. This stress causes people to lose interest in everything and makes one want to withdraw from others and want to be alone and hence withdraw from teamwork. She said that we have to recognize these signs and we should engage and talk to people. She urged both employees and employers to work together in addressing these issues as this stress is having an impact on everyone.

Chipo Juru presented a beautiful poem entitled “My roots and I”. In this poem she speaks of her identity, roots and pride as a girl child. She brought out the tenacity, faith and courage exhibited by women in her heritage, in spite of being discriminated against, having their rights to basic opportunities waived aside and having no one to support them, they withstood that which they could and passed that strength down to her, who is now able to carry out the dreams and hopes of the women before her. She also talks of the wisdom and knowledge women possess, untaught yet intrinsic within them.

Ngosa Bwalya presented a delightful message through some beautiful songs, some of them being, ‘Stand by me’ and ‘Don’t worry be happy’. He shared the words from the first song, ‘When the nights are cold, when the sky falls and when the mountains crumble to the ground, I won’t shed a tear and I won’t be afraid as long as you stand by me’. That’s all we need when we are about to hit rock bottom and when we are going through difficult times, we just need a shoulder to lean on and someone to stand by us, that way we can stand tall and cope with whatever stressful situation. It was an uplifting and joyful moment as people sang along to the last song, ‘Without love’.

An open question and discussion session led by the moderator Mahmooda followed Ngosa’s presentation. This was an interactive and spontaneous session where several participants who did not join the master class had an opportunity to share some of their own ideas and personal experiences relevant to the topics of discussion (stress management). Prof. Rishikesh Kumar and Victor Perton were some of the guest speakers who took part in this discussion.

Victor Perton presented a topic centered on Optimism. He started by sharing his experience with the Dalai Lama and a woman who he described to be very sour. The woman was posing some concerns on the suffering of teenagers to the Dalai Lama and was looking for ways to alleviate these sufferings and the Dalai Lama responded by saying, ‘You as a mother or a grandmother, the most important thing you can do for teenagers is to maintain their hope and optimism through the pandemic and beyond’. Mr Perton went on and talked about the numerous days that have been spent under lockdown and he said during the break of the lockdown he travelled to a remote village in Australia where he walked knocking on several houses asking the question, ‘What makes you optimistic?’ and they also held some school competitions asking the same question. He then suggested that parents should also gather their children and let them create a community and that community should find what makes them optimistic. He assured that there will emerge leaders in these children of a community creating optimism.

Towards the end of the program Carolina Modesto was called upon to announce ambassadorship awards for some of the prominent and hardworking volunteers at GYMHA and also to present their certificates of appreciation.

Anthony Neale ended the summit with a vote of thanks and some closing remarks. He offered his gratitude to all the speakers for, the way they showed passion and positive energy throughout their presentations, the wisdom shared in equipping people with the tools and strategies needed to combat stress and also the songs, dances and poems that uplifted souls. He also thanked all the sponsors and the GYMHA team that worked behind the scenes in making the event as successful as it was. He implored for aid to serve the world effectively, aid in the form of more volunteers and financial support. He urged people to fill their hearts with gratitude and kindness, build resources to help others, spread wisdom and make the world a better place. He ended his speech with a beautiful reminder, ‘Remember your wellbeing is so important, be optimistic and smile’.

 

SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS

  • Poem presentation and live music performances
  • Quizzes competition, Prizes, and Awards organized by the quiz competition coordinator Husseina Ojochenemi Abubakar, the winners of the quiz contest were, Nur Ahmed and Amyn,
  • Certificate of participation to boost resume (upon request)
  • Masterclasses with international keynote speakers and panelists
  • High energy activity with exercises, live music, drama
  • Global Scholarships and opportunities
  • Launching of an online course and GYMHA T-shirt
  • Networking
  • Group photo after each session

 

GYMHA RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Katinda ebook: https://www.confidenceandselfesteem.com/the-big-comeback-ebook/, https://www.confidenceandselfesteem.com/the-big-comeback-hard-copy/
  • ECCV- Mental Health and Wellbeing for Victoria’s Multicultural Communities under Covid-19, ECCV Recommendations.
  • Online Course: Workplace youth mental health online course, subscribe at gymha.org or inbox jude@gymha.org or  kennytwr@gmail.com
  • Upcoming events: GYMHA Annual General Meeting in October, Election
  • Membership: procedure to be a member, inbox jude@gymha.org
  • GYMHA fortnightly Facebook live show – @gymha4real
  • Global opportunities
  • Scholarship: Free access to the online course, Workplace youth mental health
  • Ambassadorship: Ambassador of GYMHA, Key representatives

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Organized by:

  • Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA) Inc. Australia
  • Empowering Your Soul (eYs) Magazine Int’l

Supporting Organizations:

  • The Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV)
  • Victoria State Government
  • Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation
  • Dr Nas Inner Wellness
  • CEPASD
  • Blessing Obaniyi Foundation (BOF)
  • Africause Youth and Community Services
  • Sandeep Nath
  • Nigerian Society of Victoria (NSV)
  • New Hope Foundation Zimbabwe
  • Wheels of Hope Rising Foundation
  • Supportive Activists Foundation
  • The Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative MHEI
  • Wellbeing Health Retreats
  • Prayas Foundation
  • Astronomy & Space Company Annex Salamis
  • The Big Comeback – Katinda Ndola
  • Live And Not Die LAND
  • SRIHIN
  • My Care Buddy
  • David Smile Dance Academy
  • Society for Leadership Skills Development SLSD
  • Media 7
  • Pyschebabble Foundation

Associates:

  • Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association
  • United Nations Association of Australia – Victorian Division

 

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