Celebrating healthful living

Imagine a school community in which issues can be explored safely and creatively, kids who struggle academically are able to shine, children want to come to school, parents feel welcomed and valued, and students and teachers share mutual appreciation and respect. 

Add to that an environment in which schools and community agencies work together and mental health is not a scary word. These values are what the Festival for Healthy Living (FHL) strives to achieve working through the arts. The Festival demonstrates that the arts are a safe and creative medium for young people to explore life’s challenges.

Since 1998, the FHL has developed as an evidence-based, innovative, mental health-promoting, art-based initiative that builds the capacity of children, young people, families and communities. The program works through schools as core social centres to create links between schools, families and community services.

The FHL works to address disadvantage in communities which have experienced adversity, from bushfire, social-economic disadvantage and drought. It also works with communities facing issues around cultural and linguistic diversity, and with Indigenous communities that may be experiencing disadvantage.

Over 14,000 children, young people and their parents have been touched by FHL over the past 15 years. The team has worked with over 120 schools and a large number of community agencies as part of a whole community approach to promoting wellbeing.  All the programs are independently evaluated using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods using an action research model.

“A number of key outcomes have emerged through the programs,” says Harry Gelber, Manager Community Development for the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Integrated Mental Health Program. “The FHL has enhanced the social and emotional wellbeing of participating students and facilitated safe ways to deal creatively with hard issues.”

Linking directly with communities is a key feature of the FHL. 

Professor Gelber cites the case of the Buxton Primary School community, which was drastically affected by Victoria’s 2009 bushfires. Although the school buildings were not damaged, the immediate landscape was altered dramatically. Families were present during the fires, and half of the school families, and one teacher, lost their homes.

“Six months after the fires, when the school population had stabilised again, teachers were aware that students were emotionally very fragile,” he says. “It was as though students were on an emotional roller coaster, subject to severe outbursts of crying, verbal and physical aggression, times of withdrawal and an inability to focus and concentrate on learning.

“Significantly, the very positive social cohesion evident and remarked upon by visitors to the school before the fires, no longer existed.”

Professor Gelber says students did not want to engage directly in discussions about their experiences, feelings and reactions to the fires, and changes in the social fabric and relationships in families and the wider community were also becoming more evident. 

Teachers were very keen to explore activities and programs which would enable students to express their feelings in a non-threatening environment and allow them to re-establish confidence and positive social relationships. 

“The FHL was perfectly suited to the needs of the students and the school community and evolved into a localised program known as CARTWHEELS.  (Community, Art, Resilience, Tribes, Wellbeing, Health, Empathy Engagement, Learning, Schools),” he says.

Buxton is a small rural school making it easy for whole-school involvement. 

CARTWHEELS was integrated with the school curriculum and through the sharing of philosophy and ideas that promoted co-operation, peer support, mutual respect, self-esteem, resilience and positive social relationships. Ideas for performances and exhibitions grew from real experiences. 

Lyn Pope, who co-ordinated the program for Buxton PS said CARTWHEELS provided much needed mental health and wellbeing support for both staff and students at a critical time in the recovery process. 

“Members of staff, who were trying to deal with their own issues as a result of the fires, were finding it difficult to provide ongoing positive support for traumatised students and families on a daily basis, so CARTWHEELS was equally important as a support for school staff,” she says.

“Students used this as an opportunity to reflect, explore, create, share and inspire each other. It was a true celebration demonstrating that with support and encouragement, individuals and communities can develop positive goals and achieve positive outcomes.”

Professor Rob Moodie, from the School of Population and Global Health has been involved with the Festival since the very beginning and sees it as an exceptional model for connecting schools, communities and families and facilitating healing. 

“We believe that participation in the Festival has created greater collaboration between the school and community sector, which often was not happening before the Festival,” Professor Moodie says.  

“The program has enhanced the local community’s knowledge and skills about improving wellbeing. Schools and agencies have continued to work with the arts recognising its unique capacity to engage students and their communities with education through life exploration.”

www.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au