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 09:00 am GMT.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Moderator: Mahmooda Khan, GYHMA Ambassador, Chairperson at New Hope Foundation
Rance Lazarus, Guitarist/Singer-Songwriter, Odyssey musical band, and GYMHA Ambassador.
Seetha Segeran, Personal Development Trainer, Lifestyle Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Author, Mentor.
Dr. Neepa Choksi, Purpose Coach | Narrative Practitioner | Volunteer| Mentor|Access Bars Practitioner | Co-Founder Nourish to Cherish.
Dr Pramod Kumar Rajput, Sr. Vice President & Vertical Head at Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited, GYMHA Marketing Director.
Prof. Rishikesh Kumar, Author, Motivational Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Faculty & Coordinator – Entrepreneurship Development Cell (EDC), PCET’s S. B. Patil Institute of Management, Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA.🇮🇳
Mireille Toulekima, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Petroleum Engineering/Energy/STEM Business Development, International Speaker.
Chipo Juru, Paediatric Speech Pathologist, Victorian Multicultural Commission’s Regional Advisory Council Member.
Ngosa Bwalya, Musician, GYMHA Ambassador, Electrical engineer.
Victor Perton, Presenter Chief Optimism Officer, The Centre for Optimism.
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, 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 second day was made. The participants comprised of a diverse group of about 74 persons from all over the world. A short recap of the previous day was 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 his journey of life. He reminded us that life comes with many experiences, but ‘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 comes a time when a person has to get a job and work for a living, but not everyone can be an entrepreneur. In this case, there is a need of someone who already has something going; 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; finishing tertiary education and getting a degree doesn’t mean that all is set to get a job, or that it’s going to come together naturally. There’s more to getting ready for employment. One should have some other skills to participate in teamwork.
She went further to talk of ethics. There are rules to follow in certain workplaces, and it is vital to keep in check the way we relate and communicate with others. She subsequently brought up the issue of self-discovery and urged people to keep on upgrading in order to know their purpose and what they want from 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. 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. 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. He urged us to create positive stress. 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 in tense situations.
Prof. Rishikesh Kumar talked about the topic, ‘How to Determine Future Workforce Needs.’ 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 without a skill set. 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 stress under control. Most importantly she talked of embracing stress; turning negative stress to positive that drives us forward. She identified anxiety, fear, high sensitivity, anger bursts, aggressions, loss of sleep and loss of commitment as some of the many signs of stress. 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 stress has an impact on everyone.
Chipo Juru presented a beautiful poem titled “My Roots and I”. In this poem she speaks of her identity, roots, and pride as a female 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 all these and passed on the strength to her, who is now able to carry out the dreams and hopes of the women before her. She also talked about the intrinsic wisdom and knowledge these women possess 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. We need a shoulder to lean on; someone to stand by us. That way, we can stand tall and cope with whatever stressful situation comes our way. 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 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 centred on Optimism. He started by sharing his experience with the Dalai Lama and a woman who he described to be very sour. The woman posed 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, ‘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 to share one of his experiences during the lockdown. He travelled to a remote village in Australia where he knocked on several houses, asking the question, ‘What makes you optimistic?’ He also held some school competitions where he asked the same question. He suggested that parents gather their children to create a community that shares with others things that make them optimistic.
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 a closing remark. 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. 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 www.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 Inc. Australia GYMHA
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
Sandeep Nath
New Hope Foundation Zimbabwe
Wheels of Hope Rising Foundation
Supportive Activists Foundation
The Mandate Health Empowerment Initiative MHEI
Wellbeing Health Retreats
Prayas
Astronomy & Space Company Annex Salamis
The Big Comeback – Katinda Ndola
Live And Not Die LAND
SRIHIN
My Care Buddy
David Smile Dance
Mental Health
Society for Leadership Skills Development SLSD
Media 7
Pyschebabble
Associates:
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Australian & New Zealand
United Nations Association of Australia – Victorian Division
CONTACT US
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Email: jude@gymha.org
Phone number: +61481857086
Address: StartNorth Broadmeadows Town Hall Dimboola Rd, Broadmeadows VIC 3047 P O Box 2091, Gladstone Park, VIC 304