The council will be fully funding the Resilience Project 2021 in our region to help to build mental-health resilience among students, staff, and the wider school communities.

The project aims to make talking about mental health accessible and provides practical activities that make looking after the wellbeing of students, teachers, and school communities fun.

Robyn Jones, Stawell Primary School Principal, said the council's funding had been a fantastic boost for the program in 2021.

"On behalf of all the Government Principals in the Stawell and Surrounding Schools Network, including St Arnaud, Marnoo and Navarre, I would like to sincerely thank the generosity of NGSC in sponsoring the Resilience Project for us in 2021," she said.

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"The funding has given all our schools access to incredible on-line resources and the provision of student journals.

"We all know the importance of building positive mental health strategies, particularly during these times. Having the opportunity to be part of the Resilience Project once again gives the Stawell community a chance to do just that, starting with our youth.

"As leaders of our school communities, we are very excited and grateful for this opportunity."

Northern Grampians Shire Council Mayor, Murray Emerson, said it was terrific for the region to have this project in our local schools.

"Research tells us that young people can be just as vulnerable to facing issues with mental health as the rest of the population, so we are proud to be able to provide this program here," he said.

"Having the tools and know-how to recognise the signs and tackle the symptoms and causes of mental illness is a wonderful thing for students to learn.

"The other great thing about this project and why the council is thrilled to be able to provide support for it is these lessons are then taken home from school, which then strengthens the mental health resilience of the whole community.

"I also want to congratulate all the schools and kindergartens; the principals' network has worked hard to have this program in our area.

"It was a great success when the Resilience Project first launched in the area in 2018 and 2019, and our education leaders must be acknowledged for their efforts in ensuring local students and families receive these high-quality programs."

The project focuses on Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy as the key strategies for resilience, using these techniques to give participants the tools they need to build a strong foundation for good mental health now and into the future.

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Council provided just over $50,000 in funding via the Community Bushfire Recovery Event funding program across every school and kinder in the Northern Grampians. Due to travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, the program this year will be delivered entirely online with local teachers leading the project in classrooms.

Along with the in-school projects and presentations, all 1500 students will receive a free resilience diary to take home to learn and record their resilience-building journey.

The Community Bushfire Recovery Event funding program supports activities and initiatives that bring bushfire affected communities together, build resilience and raise awareness of support services. The Australian and Victorian Governments jointly fund the program under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Statistics about the resilience project in the Northern Grampians Every secondary school, primary school, and kindergarten in the Northern Grampians Shire is participating in this program:

Council has contributed a total cost of $50,136.90 to fund this program.

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