Media Release: HOPE Video Project Launch

Monday, 15 April 2019

MEDIA RELEASE

SUBJECT:

HOPE Video Project Launch

FROM:

Media Communications Officer, Kristie Giblin

DATE:

Wednesday 10th April, 2019

The West Tamar Council has received funding of $6000 from a Youth Innovations Grant through ABC’s Heywire Program to make ‘HOPE’ videos addressing important health and well being issues for young people in the West Tamar.

‘HOPE’ stands for ‘Helping Our Peers Educate’ and aims to create relevant and catchy short videos that raise awareness of the top 5 issues facing young people in the West Tamar. Our Youth Advisory Council has worked together with Think Media to create the videos around key issues from our Youth Survey, identified as: Body Image, Bullying, Personal Safety, Mental Health and Peer Pressure.

The nine videos will be a vital resource for the 4500 young people living in the West Tamar, offering a great opportunity to promote positive health and well being throughout the region by providing better access to support and connecting young people to a range of resources available to them.

“As the West Tamar is a regional community, access to support and services can be limiting for young people. Promoting a video resource which can be accessed all hours is vital, along with the creation of a safe place at their school,” Mayor Christina Holmdahl said.

“Our Youth Development Officer is initially working with Exeter High School to create a space for students to be supported during stressful times, and is also planning to distribute USB's with the videos on them to all schools when our Youth Advisory Council presents them to older grade levels throughout the year.”

 The West Tamar Council and Youth Advisory Council anticipate seeing more hopeful and resilient young people as they face challenging and real issues relating to health and wellbeing.

The HOPE videos will be shared with the public during Youth Week Tasmania at City of Launceston's Youth Week Event on Thursday April 11 from 3.30-5.30pm, on Friday April 12th at the Beaconsfield Youth & Community Festival from 1-4pm (this event is run by the Youth Advisory Council), and presented to Council on Tuesday May 7 at the West Tamar Council's Workshop.

Contact:

Kristie Giblin, Media and Communications Officer – 0437 063 563