the big anxiety
A
“Mental health has emerged as
a significant challenge for Australia’s
new festival designed
to provoke thought and
discussion on mental health in
the 21st century will be held in
Sydney from September 20 to
November 11. health system,” Tammy said. “Almost
The Big Anxiety festival will
half of Australian adults (aged 16-85)
will experience some form of mental
illness in their lifetime (45.5%), with
one in five expected to experience a
mental disorder each year.*
“Within this context, The Big
present over 60 projects over seven Anxiety festival is bringing together weeks across Greater Sydney, leading artists, scientists, and Nikolova that uses augmented reality
including state-of-the-art immersive thinkers, with the aim of developing to help first responders and the
experiences, international art rich and engaging methods to general public to understand the
exhibitions, theatre, performance, communicate the experiences experience of psychosis; while the
and public forms, designed by some of mental illness, recovery, and Mobile Mood Lab is a customised
of the world’s most progressive resilience.” bus featuring work by National Media
creative innovators. Art Award winner, George Khut,
acclaimed indigenous choreographer, that is an immersive and interactive
Brennan said The Big Anxiety director, dancer and multimedia mood laboratory that offers a way to
acknowledged the role that the artist, Vicki Van Hout, who will write self-monitor and manage stress and
arts can play in supporting mental and perform the festival poem; and anxiety.
health and wellbeing in individuals ‘Suicide’ – a stunning new dance
and communities, through raising work that explores themes of youth approximately 98 per cent of events
awareness, early intervention and suicide, self-harm and healing. are free entry.
providing opportunities to participate Labryinth Psychotica is an artwork *ABS, NSMHW, 2007 in: AIHW, 2016
in the arts. by Dutch artist Jennifer Kanary thebiganxiety.org
conference to give information and strategies that can
Event spokesperson Tammy
Festival highlights include
advice for parents improve their own lives and those of
A
The festival is not-for-profit, and
their children.
Conferences will be held in
series of conferences in
Melbourne will aim to
educate parents, carers and
teachers how to manage the
challenges of caring for children
with learning and behavioural
difficulties. Eltham on August 25 and 26, in Knox fed up with the lack of information difficulty, be supported and enabled
Child’ founder, Rebecca Perkins, the and resources available to parents and to reach their fullest potential and
conferences will feature 12 talks over carers of children with special needs. achieve their goals and dreams,”
two days, with the program including some of the country’s leading which every child who is struggling Visit myspecialchildonline.com
experts in the field, who will provide because of a special need or learning for details.
An initiative of ‘My Special
linkonline.com.au
in October and one in the Melbourne
CBD in December.
Rebecca, a mum to two sons –
one of which has ADHD and is
intellectually disabled – established
My Special Child in 2015, after she was
“Our vision is to create a world in
Rebecca said.
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