Youth talent

New research has confirmed what many local families already know: social media is hurting our young people.

This week, Headspace –the National Youth Mental Health Foundation – released new data showing one in three young Australians have experienced problematic social media use.

According to Headspace, 44 per cent of young people say they are exposed to more negative content than positive content online, while 51 per cent have thought about logging off altogether but FOMO (the fear of missing out) keeps them online.

Headspace CEO, Jason Trethowan, said social media can be overwhelming for young people.

“The more time young people spend on social media, the less time they have for other important parts of life, like being active, getting into life, sleeping and eating well,” he said.

Mr Trethowan also pointed the finger at Big Tech to be part of the solution.

“…the responsibility to foster healthy social media habits can’t rest solely on the shoulders of young people or their families. It is important that social media companies and governments put in place the mechanisms needed to ensure users can have a safe and healthy experience.”

The release of the Headspace data follows the publication of an alarming new American study suggesting as many as half of teenagers are experiencing feelings of depression and helplessness.

The study – conducted by the University of Michigan –shows 48.9 per cent of teens agree with the statement “I do not enjoy life” while 44.2 per cent agree with the statement “my life is not useful”.

In comparison, in the year 2000 – before iPhones, Instagram and Tik Tok – less than a quarter of American teenagers agreed with those statements.

Youth local mental health is also back on the agenda locally, with the Illawarra Mercury publishing an important story last week on the valuable support work done in the wake of the tragic series of youth suicides in Kiama in 2020 and 2021.

The NSW Government has recently announced a new 40-year vision for the Wollongong Hospital, the Metro Wollongong Health Precinct Strategy, that will seek to plan the future of the region’s healthcare services as the population grows.

The Minister for Health, Ryan Park MP, who is also the Member for Keira said “this strategy will be invaluable in helping us to improve access to healthcare services for our growing community, ensuring we have world-class services available to meet the needs of staff, patients and their families.”

Ahead of last year’s Federal Election, Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips promised Labor would fully fund and deliver a Headspace in Kiama. The Federal Government allocated funds in the October 2022, and hopes the Kiama Headspace will be open by the end of this year.

Speaking to The Bugle, Fiona Phillips said Kiama played a pivotal role in her advocacy for restoring bulk billing for psychiatric telehealth consultations for regional and rural Australia.

“The recent Federal Budget contained $586.9 million for improved mental health measures, to extend critical services, address urgent gaps and workforce shortages.

“We also recently launched the National Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework. This framework will guide how governments and recovery partners can consistently support the mental health and wellbeing of communities before, during and after disaster events.”

Kiama Council has been on the front line supporting local young people through challenging times with their SENTRAL Youth Services for many years.

“Our youth service is onhand to support young people with their mental health including as a mandatory reporter,” a Council spokesperson said.

“Our staff have undertaken Suicide Prevention training this year and we are committed to staff training in Mental Health First Aid as well.”

SENTRAL continues to provide weekly drop-in afternoons every Thursday and Friday, as well as individual support by appointment.

They also host regular events and activities for young people aged 12-25 in the municipality to connect, create and ‘chill out’.

Council provides and facilitates a range of mental health resources via their website.

Kiama High School Student, Meisha McGroder is making big waves in the music scene after graduating from the prestigious Talent Development Program.

She was one of 12 people in NSW to graduate last month from the not-for-profit organisation that has been nurturing musical talent for over three decades and has joined the list of esteemed alumni including Angus and Julia Stone.

Across the three-month program, she has been honing her skills with some of Australia’s top music industry professionals and has since released a single on Spotify – ‘Found’ by Denim on Her, which has collected over 1,000 listens. Manon Wilson, marketing and workshop coordinator at TDP, describes her sound as unique, setting her apart from other emerging artists.

“She is definitely one to watch out for in the coming years,” says Manon.

Meisha’s passion for music began at a young age and she has been performing since she was just five years old.

“She is a shining example of what can be achieved with passion, talent, and determination, and her journey serves as an inspiration to young musicians who aspire to follow in her footsteps.”

by Cassandra Zaucer

One of the things I love most about being your local MP is recognising important events and celebrating the contribution of people in our community.

You may qualify for a letter from the King if you are:

• Celebrating your 60th wedding anniversary

• Celebrating your 100th birthday

You may qualify for a letter from the Governor of NSW if you are:

• Celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary

• Celebrating your 95th birthday

If you have represented the State of NSW in sport, you also qualify for an official State Representative Award signed by the Premier of NSW and me.

I also have a range of Kiama Electorate Community Service, volunteer, and achievement awards.

Feel free to contact my office if you would like further information on any of these awards.

Service Nsw Celebrates 10 Years

This month marks 10 years since we officially opened the very first Service NSW centre anyway in NSW.

When the then Premier Barry O’Farrell announced that multiple government services would be moved under one roof, I remember lobbying him to ensure Kiama had the very first.

And that’s exactly what happened.

I think everyone would agree, the team at Service NSW in Kiama do an outstanding job and I’m so pleased that the feedback about their dedication and commitment continues to be as positive and strong as ever.

Labor Axes Regional Seniors Travel Card

Whilst Chris Minns and Labor promised not to axe the Regional Seniors Travel Card if they were elected, the Labor Government have broken yet another promise with the card stopped from 7th July.

Whilst any cards issues before this date can still be used, the government has broken its promise and won’t be issuing any more for the foreseeable future.

I’m opposing this cut and to have this matter debated in Parliament, I have started a petition and we need 10,000 signatures to kick off the debate.

If you oppose cutting the Regional Seniors Travel Card, feel free to pop into my office and sign our petition.

Free Rat Tests

I have free Rapid Antigen Tests available in my office.

Feel free to drop in and collect yours today.

Kiama Winter Festival

A huge shout out to the organisers of the Kiama Winter Festival.

The ice skating at Black Beach Reserve was a massive highlight. I got my stakes on and enjoyed every minute of it! (And I achieved my main objective of not falling over!).

WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER

In addition to this column in the Kiama Bugle, I publish a weekly column which contains information on local issues and updates on my activities in our community and in Parliament.

If you would like to receive this weekly e-newsletter, please don’t hesitate to send me an email to kiama@parliament.nsw.gov. au so you can be added to the list.

Have a great week!