JIMMY’S Youth Wellbeing Sanctuary nearing completion at Rosebud is designed around the concept of “physiological architecture”, where tranquility and stillness arouse “positive emotional responses” in its clients.
A central courtyard and bay views at the site in Point Nepean Road are calming, while the timber deck winding its way up to the front door and internal garden adds to a sense of wellbeing and openness.
Jimmy’s Foundation is a registered charity which came about through the determination of Sarah Darling whose 33-year-old son Jimmy died in 2014. It is being managed and fostered by YMCA Peninsula Youth Services which has been supporting and caring for young people for 10 years.
The foundation’s mission is to support “marginalised, disengaged and disadvantaged youth by providing a safe place for them to connect with trained, qualified staff and volunteers/mentors, as well as other young people”.
Services will run on the four “pillars of wellbeing”, which look at ways to support clients physically and emotionally, such as what they eat, how they relax, perhaps through yoga and exercise, and “firing up the brain” so that they develop a curiosity about the world they live in and their own passions.
YMCA peninsula youth services manager Jeanette Horsley said Jimmy’s mid-May opening was “perfect timing given the findings of the mental health royal commission a few weeks ago”.
“One of the most significant findings of the royal commission was the dependency for improving outcomes on medications,” she said. “At Jimmy’s we look at early identification of signs and symptoms.
“We have a holistic and complementary approach to improving the mental and emotional wellbeing [of] young people through preventative and intervention strategies and treatments.
“As the industry looks to reform its approach around mental illness challenges, we are offering alternative support and skills for lifelong wellbeing.”
Ms Horsley said there was a three-month waiting list to see a clinician or practitioner through headspace. “The visiting practitioners’ program provides access to treatments and professionals not covered by the public health system which can be cost-prohibitive for many,” she said.
“Philanthropic funding and donations allow us to provide a weekly program to young people up to the age of 25 and their supporting adults for significantly discounted treatment costs.”
Jimmy’s will hold residential wellbeing workshops for young people and their parents. It will provide mental health first-aid courses and skills development through social enterprise cafe Jimmy’s Kitchen.
Personal development programs will include alternative and holistic mental health and physical wellness practices and treatments, one-on-one coaching and mentoring, youth camps, teenagers’ retreats and weekly youth programs.
The centre will be available to all young people “challenged by their teenage years, life circumstances or a desire to find somewhere they can just be themselves”.
Clients can be referred by YMCA Peninsula Youth Services, schools, youth and family support agencies, families and friends.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 27 April 2021
