By Juliano Oliveira
Stanthorpe support group Happy Chat has been recently nominated for the Queensland Mental Health Awards, a ceremony that recognises the tireless work to support and empower those living with mental illness.
Happy Chat is not considered an organisation, but a group run by volunteers whose primary purpose is to address social isolation, boredom and loneliness.
“We are a group of people who meet once a week. We all have a lived experience of mental illness. Happy Chat members volunteer to run the group on the day and raise enough money to fund rent and catering,” Community Development Volunteer Kath Ives says.
The money influx received by the group comes from sponsors. Last financial year, they had, as supporters, MP James Lister and Family Matters Counselling and Therapy Services.
In 2021, sponsors came through the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, the Lions Club of Stanthorpe and many family and friends of our Happy Chatters.
Over the last eight years, hundreds of people have found Happy Chat a safe shelter where they can share fears and dreams.
“Social isolation and loneliness have a detrimental effect on people’s well-being, as discovered throughout the Covid lockdowns. For people with chronic mental health issues, social isolation and loneliness is nothing new. We are trying to address this through Happy Chat,” Ms Ives says.
She also brings up the lack of community mental health services in the region.
“Happy Chat is attempting to address that gap by building a sense of belonging for many members. In addition, it is the only point of contact for some of us, so Happy Chat operates as a check-in hub.”
Volunteers at Happy Chat also participate in research, panel discussions and policy development. Part of the task is to liaise with different organisations to ensure the group stories are heard and spread to benefit the region’s future mental health services.
Now, with its recent nomination for the Queensland Mental Health Awards, the group is set to soar higher in 2022.
“Being a finalist also congratulates our volunteers for doing such a good job. It spurs us on to continue doing what we are doing with confidence and pride. It builds on our strong reputation as a serious contender in community mental health as we seek future funding to expand our group to more gatherings and activities beyond 2022,” Ms Ives says.
