Mental health support organistion Homestead for Youth has teamed up with Sportspower Pinjarra to score a goal on mental health support.
The local sports store donated a brand new air hockey table for Homestead for Youth’s Meelon farm, where they run several programs for teenagers at risk.
The not-for-profit organisation helps troubled teenagers by distracting them from their conflicting backgrounds through hands-on programs.
Teenagers that might have family, violence or addiction problems can come to Homestead and join one of their tailor-made horse riding, mechanics and fencing programs among others.
The organisation also runs alternative accommodation services.
Homestead manager Marty Fadelli said the air hockey table would be used to keep the youth engaged.
“We run a connect group every fortnight, so we have youth from the are come over to the farm and just little things like this will obviously help to keep them amused for the time that we’ve got them,” he said.
Sportspower Pinjarra manager Joe Slade, who also donated a basketball game to the organisation last year, said he was very interested in assisting local organisations helping the region’s youth.
“I had the air hockey table for a while and I thought rather than trying to keep reducing it to sell it, it’s better to donate it to a better cause that would help more people that one person trying to buy it and use it at home,” he said.
“The youth aspect, there’s not really much around in the local area, so anything you can do to help out specially that sector is something we want to try and push, encourage and help.”
Young Jack Gibb Barlow was one of the first teenagers to undergo the Homestead for Youth program, and he is now working for the organisation as a full-time mentor.
He said the air hockey table was an opportunity for the teenagers to bond and learn about mental health through games and competitions.
“It’s going to be something else that they can do with the connect group and also when the kids come out, it’s like a reward for them,” he said.
“I think this is going to be a great benefit.”
In addition to their youth services at the Meelon farm, Homestead for Youth is also running a local physiological clinic in Pinjarra to assist the local community.
Owners Carla and Marty Fadelli decided to open the clinic to reach out to the broader Peel community and provide support services not only for teenagers but also for families and carers.
“We really just want to make sure that we are strengthening the families in the community too so we don’t want to only work with our young people, we want to work with the mums and the dads and the caregivers,” Mr Fadelli said.
“We want to aim for a community change.”
The clinic will be running a series of parenting workshops for local families throughout October and November to teach local parents about empowered parenting, parting anxious children, dealing with teenagers and mental health, and learning emotional regulation.
The courses cost $40 per person and will be held at the H4Y Psychology and Counselling Clinic on 2/19 Murray Street, Pinjarra.
For more information about the courses and to book a spot call 0449 939 597.
For more information about Homestead for Youth visit their Facebook page.