Wellbeing

About us

The Wellbeing Team is comprised of:

• Wellbeing Advisors
• Youth Health Nurse
• Mental Health Nurse
• Visiting DET Social worker and Psychologist

How we can help

How can we help? Student life can sometimes be tough, especially if you have been sick or have had personal or family problems. Sometimes personal issues can get make it difficult for you to study or get on with life.

Usually just having someone to listen can help lighten the load or ease the situation. The Student Wellbeing Team can support and work with you to sort out the problem. We can also help work out any issues you may be having with friends, family or teachers/subjects. We can also put you in touch with community organisations specific to your needs as required.

All services provided by Student Wellbeing staff are voluntary, which means that students can choose whether they wish to attend a service and also have the choice to withdraw from a service.

Students can access wellbeing support by attending the Wellbeing Centre themselves, or can be referred by school staff, parents or other avenues.

Exam Stress

The exam period can be a very stressful time for students. See our tips for managing your stress at each stage of the exam process: Stress management – exams 

HeadtoHelp – Mental health support that’s right for you

Bendigo Community Health Services’ HeadtoHelp provides onsite support for those who need it, along with telehealth for anyone across the region.

Working closely with existing providers including GPs and hospitals, HeadtoHelp can refer people to more intensive mental health care or social supports if they need that level of help.

The focus of HeadtoHelp is to provide help for people who may be seeking mental health support for the first time in their lives.

You don’t not need a mental health care plan to access HeadtoHelp.

Anyone concerned about their mental health should call 1800 595 212 to talk to a health professional or connect to a service near them.

COVID-19

During the COVID-19 crisis there is much uncertainty for many students. For many of us, anxiety has become an unwelcome companion as we continue to navigate this difficult time. This tip sheet provides some guidance and tools to help you manage your anxiety and enhance your overall wellbeing during this time.

How to Build and Sustain Motivation

Tip-Sheet-Managing-Anxiety-COVID-19

Wellbeing support during remote learning.

Financial support during the COVID-19 Crisis

You can contact Bendigo Family and Financial Services for free, confidential and non-judgmental support, including food parcels and interest-free loans. For more information click on the links below:

BFFS Emergency Food Relief flyer

No interest loans scheme

Privacy

Our service is free and confidential, meaning anything discussed with us will not be discussed with anyone without your permission*.

*Should you be in danger of hurting yourself or someone else, your guardian must be informed for your own safety. This will be done with your knowledge where possible, as we are here to support you.

Feedback and Complaints procedures

We welcome feedback about the quality of our service. We also have a commitment to resolving any concerns about our service should this arise at any time. If you wish to make a complaint regarding the service you have received, you are encouraged to contact the BSSC Principal to discuss the issue and to enable your concerns to be addressed.

Disclaimer

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

BSSC LGBTI Ally network

BSSC is a place where all community members are included and valued and harassment and discrimination have no place.  The BSSC Ally network has been established to increase the inclusivity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) staff and students and to allow our community to better understand the experiences they have in their everyday lives.

Staff who have been trained as a BSSC Ally will:

• Be informed about and sensitive towards people of diverse sexualities, people with natural intersex variations and people with diverse gender identities
• Be a ‘safe’ person for LGBTI staff and students to speak to without prejudice and provide support where necessary
• Challenge any homophobic or transphobic language and behaviour in a way that will encourage change, including by individual example and personal awareness
• Create a culture that is inclusive of all people in our school community through their work at the college
• Value and celebrate LGBTI people and culture
• Publicly acknowledge that they have been trained as an Ally by placing a BSSC Ally sticker on their office door/laptop/diary and branding on their BSSC email signature
• Always maintain professionalism and clear boundaries in their interactions with students

Supports for students:

• QLife: LGBTI phone and online chat counselling services for Australia
  https://qlife.org.au  or call: 1800 184 527
• Minus18: for LGTBI information and resources
  https://minus18.org.au
• headspace: phone counselling, online chat and website services
  http://www.headspace.org.au  or call: 1800 650 890
• headspace Bendigo (including Diversity Group):
  Visit 78/80 Pall Mall Bendigo  or call: 54 345 345
• Kids Helpline: phone counselling, online chat and website services:
  www.kidshelp.com.au  or call: 1800 551 800
• Lifeline: phone counselling, online chat:
  Call: 13 11 14  website www.lifeline.org.au

BSSC staff who are trained as LGBTI Allies

BSSC Inclusion Ambassadors

Bendigo Senior Secondary College is a place where all students and staff are included and valued and harassment and discrimination have no place. The BSSC Inclusion Ambassador program has been established to help promote and celebrate the diversity within BSSC and to allow our community to better understand the experiences students and staff have in their everyday lives.
Students who have been trained as Inclusion Ambassadors will:

• Be informed about and sensitive towards people with disabilities, people of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds and people with intersex variations, diverse sexualities and gender backgrounds.
• Promote advocacy for diversity and a culture of inclusiveness within the college and broader community.
• Increase knowledge of the diverse backgrounds within BSSC and empower other students to advocate inclusive behaviours.
• Role model inclusive behaviours and sensitively challenge discriminatory views and opinions.
• Value and celebrate the diversity at BSSC by supporting BSSC events such as Cultural Diversity Week, Wellbeing Week and Respectful Relationships Day.
• Work closely with other BSSC Inclusion Ambassadors.
• Support partnerships with community organisations.
• Communicate with and be a voice for the many diverse groups within the BSSC community.
• Always maintain professionalism and clear boundaries in interactions with staff and students.

At the conclusion of the training students can decide if they wish to become a BSSC Inclusion Ambassador.

Inclusion Ambassador list for 2021

Wellbeing Education & Activities

The Wellbeing Team provides health and wellbeing education and activities via the following mediums:

• Well-being tips and advice in College newsletters
• Displays
• Classroom education and information
• special BSSC events throughout the year including Healthy Relationships Day, Harmony Day

Healthy Relationship Day

Relationships are an important part of who we are and how we think about ourselves, whether they are friendships or romantic relationships. Changes and conflict within relationships can cause stress and impact other parts of young people’s lives.

Healthy Relationships Day is an annual BSSC event that provides students with information to help them deal with problems or issues in their relationships, as well as giving them the knowledge to build healthy relationships with their friends, families, partners and peers.

Representatives from local agencies including Bendigo Community Health Services, Headspace, Youth Empowerment against HIV/AIDS, Country Awareness Network, and the Centre against Sexual Assault attend to support and educate students about relationship issues and community services. There is free food on offer, plus giveaways, competitions and fun activities around the theme of safer sex and healthy, respectful relationships.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is a day to celebrate a commitment to harmony and mutual respect in a culturally diverse nation. The event’s major objectives are focused on reducing prejudice and to promote respect, fairness and a sense of belonging for everyone including those of different nationalities, cultures, religions and sexuality. The colour used to represent Harmony Day is orange. Students and staff are encouraged to wear orange ribbons and join in celebrations at lunch-time.

Activities held in previous years include BBQ, food stalls, music, dance, information sharing, community agency stalls, artwork, cane ball and games.

Wellbeing Week

The College comes alive with fun activities being held each day over the week celebrating Wellbeing Week. The week’s activities are designed to increase the awareness of both students and staff about the importance of mental health and wellbeing. The importance of physical activity and having fun are all important factors in maintaining good mental health and wellbeing, whether it be at school or in the wider community and it is the aim of the Wellbeing Team to organise events which are both fun, but also convey this important message. Hence the College community are offered some fantastic ways in which to participate in Wellbeing Week. In previous years these have included a BBQ, personal trainer; massage; stress/sleep management and managing money workshops; Various community agencies also visit the college throughout the week to provide information on their services.

If you are interested in assisting with the running of activities, please contact the Wellbeing Team located in the Wellbeing Centre or see a Student Coordinator. We would love to hear from you!

Information for Students

The Wellbeing team is available to provide short term support to students around a range of issues which impact on them including the following:

School

Wellbeing Team members can find ways to support students with their studies during difficult times.  Assistance can be provided to help individual students talk to parents or teachers about any difficulties they may be having which can impact on their studies.

Time Management

Time management is an essential skill for all students. Good time management helps individual students to cope with the pressures of study. The Wellbeing Team can support students to develop effective time management strategies.

Relationships

We have many different kinds of relationships in our lives, including those with parents, family, friends, partners and teachers. Sometimes our relationships with others are easy and work well, while at other times they are hard work and difficult to manage. When things aren’t going so well it can be helpful to talk to someone about it.

Your mind

Being healthy means dealing with both the changes in your body  and your mind. Relationships, body image, families, emotions, stress, anxiety,  all of these things can impact on the way we are coping.

Stress, anxiety and depression

Stress anxiety and depression can sometimes affect a student’s ability to meet the day to day demands of study and also impact on their personal life.  The Wellbeing Team can provide assistance with strategies and are also able to link students in with specialised community based services should ongoing support be required.

Tip-Sheet-Managing-Anxiety-COVID-19

Sexual health

Sexual health issues including contraception, pregnancy, Sexually transmissable Illnesses (STI) can be discussed in confidence with the Wellbeing Team Youth Health Nurse or GP. The Youth Health Nurse or GP can also make referrals on behalf of students(when appropriate) to relevant community support organizations.

Grief and Loss

Grief can be really hard to manage and everyone copes in different ways. Talking about these feelings is a healthy and effective strategy to work your way through any grief and loss you may be experiencing

Moving toward independant living

Thinking about leaving home? There is a lot to consider when it comes to the crunch. Where can you find accommodation? How much will it cost for rent? How will you pay for your other daily living expenses such as transport, food, phone bills etc? The Wellbeing Team can help students work out what the best option may be for them. Support can also include linking students in with community organizations that assist young people who are considering living out of the family home.

Financial difficulties

Are you having difficulty making ends meet? Are you finding it a challenge to pay for your essential school items or other personal needs? Do you need help to sort out a budget? The Wellbeing Team can help with this and also link students into specialist financial services.

How you can meet with us

The Wellbeing Centre is situated opposite the Student Services entrance, next to the long ramp that heads down into Rosalind Park.

Students can access the Wellbeing Team in the following ways:

• Students can ask their Student Coordinator to contact the Wellbeing Team to arrange to meet with them as soon as possible. If a Wellbeing Team member is not immediately available, the Student Coordinator can arrange to make an appointment to enable support to be provided as soon as possible. No questions will be asked about the reason for an appointment.
• Students are welcome to visit the Wellbeing Centre during recess, lunchtime, during a study period, or after school, and make an appointment.
• Students can also email a Wellbeing Team member to arrange an appointment, to raise any personal questions or concerns, or to provide ideas on how the Wellbeing Team can support students.

After Hours and During Holidays

The Wellbeing Team are available between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm.
If students require wellbeing support after hours or during holidays, these contacts may be of use:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
• Bendigo Community Health Services: 54481600
• Psychiatric Triage Service (24 hrs): 1300 363 788

Local Service Information:

Bendigo Community Health Services

• Health services for young people
• Medical practice
• Youth counselling service  -For young people under 21 years, individual sessions and support available. Includes alcohol and drug counselling.
• Alcohol & other drug service
• Sexual Health service -An informal and confidential setting to assist both men and women in making informed choices and decisions on sexual and reproductive health issues.
• Financial counselling and support.

Contact details:
Website: www.bchs.com.au
Bendigo Central, 171 Hargreaves St, Bendigo.  Phone 0354481600
Kangaroo Flat, 13 Helm St.  Phone 03 5430 0500
Eaglehawk, 3 Seymoure St.  Phone 03 5434 4300

Headspace Bendigo
Headspace Bendigo is a place you can go to, when you may need help with any issue (large or small) that maybe worrying you.

• headspace Bendigo provides support, information and assistance for young people aged 12 to 25 years who are going through a tough time.
• We aim to provide support as early as possible so you can access headspace Bendigo even if your problem seems to be really small or really huge.
• At headspace Bendigo you can receive support from a range of professionals including youth workers, sexual health workers, social workers, alcohol and other drug workers. These workers are skilled in listening to young people and can help you identify problems, goals and achieve creative solutions to issues.

You can come and see us about a whole heap of stuff like:

• General Health
• Mental Health
• Alcohol and Other Drugs
• Relationships
• Accommodation
• Education and Training
• Social Activities
• Sexual Health

Contact details:
78/80 Pall Mall Bendigo. Phone: 54 345 345
Opening hours Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm.
Email: headspace@bchs.com.au
Website: www.headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/headspace-bendigo

St Lukes Youth Central

• Single entry point to support services for young people and their families
• Assessment of the most appropriate response to the presenting issues
• Supported linkages to a Connect Central casework service and/or other specialist service responses as required
• Provision of immediate and short term support responses as required
• Information and advice to young people, families, schools and services.
• Mediation and reconciliation focus sessions

10 Mundy St, Bendigo.
Phone: 03 5434 3944

Helpful websites:

Headspace: http://www.headspace.org.au/
eheadspace: https://eheadspace.org.au/
Reachout: http://au.reachout.com/
YoBendigo: http://www.yobendigo.com.au/Home