Michele Harvey and Filomena Pingiaro, BBBSA committee members selling tickets for Ms Williams’ artwork. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
Griffith Indigenous artist Carolyn Williams has donated a painting to raise funds to help kick start a new youth mentoring and suicide prevention program in town.
Big Brother Big Sister Australia (BBBSA) is an organisation that helps support young people and their families through mentoring, with the aim of preventing further loss of young people due to suicide.
BBBSA recruits, trains and vets adult mentor volunteers, who are matched up with a child or young person aged between 7 and 17 years with similar interests. The not-for-profit group have an established presence in Sydney, Melbourne and regional Victoria and are now looking to expand into the Riverina. A BBBSA Griffith Committee is raising funds to be able to employ a volunteer coordinator and set up a local service.
“Griffith is a town that has had a lot of suicides recently,” Ms Williams said.
“There is a lack of mentors and support for young people, particularly Indigenous youth.
“That’s why I was really keen to get behind this cause.”
Ms Williams also works as a juvenile justice caseworker and uses art therapy to help get her young clients back on track.
Carolyn Williams’ artwork. Photo: Supplied.
Her friend Michele Harvey, a Griffith BBBSA committee member, also used to work in juvenile justice.
“When I told Carolyn what we were doing, she was more than happy to help out,” Ms Harvey said.
“It’s been quite tough raising funds but things are coming along really nicely now.”
Ms Harvey and her fellow BBBSA committee members have received training on how to be a mentor and how to recruit and vet volunteers. She is hopeful that they can get a service up and running before the end of the year.
In 2019, the Murrumbidgee Local Health District, which covers Wagga, Griffith and most of the Riverina, had a suicide rate of 16.2 per 100,000 population, according to NSW Health statistics. This is almost double the suicide rate of the Sydney local health district (8.7).
“A lot of Aboriginal young people don’t have someone to talk to when things are tough,” Ms Williams said.
“It’s important to offer support at an early stage, before problems grow.”
Raffle tickets to win Ms Williams’ artwork cost $1 each. Those interested in buying tickets can pop into the Griffith Community Centre on 1 Olympic St. The BBBSA committee will also be selling raffle tickets outside Coles Supermarket at Griffin Plaza on Wednesday, 3 August, between 10 am and 2 pm.
If you’d like to find out more about BBBSA Griffith or support their work, please contact them through the Big Brother Big Sisters Riverina Facebook Page.
If this story has raised concerns for you, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. Information and support for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention are available through Beyond Blue.
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