ACT - BELONG - COMMIT: It’s as simple as ABC
Toorak College has reinforced its ongoing commitment to student wellbeing by adopting the Act-Belong-Commit campaign, a community-based framework for promoting mental health and wellbeing. Act-Belong-Commit is the first mental health promotion campaign aimed at the whole population and Toorak College is the first school outside of Western Australia to adopt this unique approach as a proactive and preventative framework to fostering positive mental health.
Media:
Education Age Article - November 2009 (pdf 420k)
Western Suburbs Weekly Article - November 2009 (pdf 170k)
Watch the Act-Belong-Commit TV ad here.
Act-Belong-Commit was developed in response to growing concerns about mental health in the community. Many people will be aware that each year in Australia, one in five people will experience a mental health problem. In fact, mental health issues have become a leading cause of disability in society, responsible for 60% of the illnesses reported in people aged between15 and 34.The Department of Health (DOH) predicts that by the year 2016 psychosocial illness will have replaced cardio vascular disease as Australia’s number one cause of illness. It is important to note that mental health issues do not discriminate between gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic categories. The increasing prevalence worldwide of these issues indicates a need for both schools and the community to take mental health promotion seriously.
The World Health Organisation defines good mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Initiatives are needed like Act-Beyond-Commit in order to shift attitudes surrounding mental health and wellbeing in the same way as those that have made significant gains in the promotion of physical health (i.e., Life Be in It). We know that to keep physically healthy and to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, we should eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, refrain from smoking and limit alcohol consumption. The promotion of mental health can be approached from a similar perspective, by increasing awareness about the things that we can and should do to protect and encourage our overall wellbeing.
Act-Belong-Commit is an evidenced-based approach and early research into its efficacy has yielded positive findings. The pilot phase of the Act-Belong-Commit Campaign was successful in changing attitudes towards mental health and wellbeing, by encouraging people to be more positive and take the necessary steps to improve their mental health. The findings demonstrated that individuals could improve their mental health and that of their communities simply by engaging in activities and events they already enjoyed.
The Act-Belong-Commit message is simple:
1. ‘Act’: That is, be active in as many ways as you can – physically, socially and cognitively. Being active helps you cope with stresses, provides opportunities to build social networks and create friendships, lifts your spirits and makes you feel good! Activities can include taking a walk, doing a crossword puzzle, reading, dancing, and attending a family or social gathering.
2. ‘Belong’: A sense of belonging contributes to a positive outlook on life. Having solid social networks and regularly attending groups can improve mental health by creating opportunities for meaningful involvement in the community, building friendships and strengthening links right across society.
3. ‘Commit’: Committing to the activities you engage in gives meaning to life. Research shows that helping other people, volunteering for a good cause and taking on challenging courses or tasks all provide us with a sense of self-satisfaction and achievement, which in turn positively influences our mental health and wellbeing.
There are many ways you can get involved in Act-Belong-Commit. For instance, you can participate in the program simply by incorporating the principles of Act-Belong-Commit into your everyday life. You might like to use the Act-Belong-Commit banner to promote school and community events and activities that require participation and build on community cohesion, or you may wish to adopt the Act-Belong-Commit Framework in your group or organisation setting. Please refer to www.actbelongcommit.org.au for further information and keep an eye out for Act-Belong-Commit activities and events around the school and community.
Download Resources:
Act (pdf 259k)
Belong (pdf 251k)
Commit (pdf 293k)
Feeling Blue, Act Green (pdf 204k)
Want to Get Involved? (pdf 278k)
More Information:
For further information please contact Ms Kelly O’Brien School Psychologist and Act-Belong-Commit Project Officer on (03) 9788 7235 and kellyo@toorakc.vic.edu.au or Ms Amberlee Laws Act-Belong-Commit Project Officer Manager on (08) 92661709 and a.laws@curtain.edu.au.