The other night I had a really great night doing my friends a favour. I looked after their kids while they headed out for the night, and in doing that, believe it or not, actually had a wonderfully peaceful evening myself.  I lazed on their couch, situated in front of their giant bookshelf and started reading a book I had meant to buy myself, but never got around to – Brene Brown’s  ” The Gifts Of Imperfection: Let Go Of Who You Think You’re Supposed To Be and Embrace Who You Are. It’s one of those books that you read and just keep saying to yourself … this really isn’t rocket science, it makes complete sense … but you are hooked on ever word and cringe as you realise how often you make the same mistakes . You need to read books like this to remind yourself to not be so caught up on what people think and realise that YOU ARE ENOUGH.

How to Help Now : Start by helping ensure you are on the right track in life, watch Brene’s poignant and entertaining TED talk below and if you enjoy what she has to say check out her blog and her books   http://www.brenebrown.com/welcome

What could be more creative than being different ? This is the question being asked by Creative Spirit – A brilliant initiative by Droga 5 that encourages companies in the creative field to employ people with disability.

From advertising agencies to architectural firms, film to fashion, theatre and dance companies to music and production studios…

By 2021, the Creative Spirit program aims to get every one of the 32,000 registered creative companies in Australia to commit to the trial of a person with a disability. Ultimately, this will make our community the largest employer of these extraordinary people.

It’s hard to watch the stories above and not wonder how easily it could be a member of your own family in need of disability services . As one of the mothers so poignantly points out  , “every individual is important and has the right to live to their potential”. 

Every Australian deserves enough support to lead an ordinary life, yet currently in Australia disability services system is broken –  there are insufficient funds, support is a lottery and people face uncertainty, anxiety and frustration.

Every Australian Counts is the campaign for the introduction of a National Disability Insurance Scheme. The NDIS will revolutionise the way people with a disability, their families and carers are supported in this country. November 27 – December 3 is SPREAD THE WORD WEEK, where you can get involved in helping improve the lives of people with disabilities.

How to help now ?   Go to everyaustraliancounts.com.au  to sign up your family members, friends, work colleagues and neighbours to help raise awareness of the NDIS and grow their supporters to 100,000.

1 Million Women is  a movement of women cutting pollution, saving energy, stopping waste and leading change.  The charity, formed in 2009, inspires women to get on with climate action, cut pollution from our daily lives, live more sustainably and be a powerful voice for change. Their goal is to inspire 1 Million Women to each cut 1 tonne of pollution and their  website shows you how.

How to help now?   Join 1MW for SAVE Summit, Dec 14, Sydney Town Hall

Below is my little girl, Indie Jasmine, who helped me volunteer at a 1 Million Women event at the tender age of 5 months.

Thanks Julie for inspiring me to get back on track today 

“Inspire a kindness Revolution – towards yourself, each other and the natural world.”

I have blogged previously about the amazing Jono Fisher and the kindness revolution he has been inspiring here in through Wake up Sydney( http://howtohelpnow.wordpress.com/category/help-by-being-kind/). Well I missed Jono’s last event because I was in overeas at the time ( and funnily enough was watching Pay it Forward in southern Mexico the night his email came through announcing his second event). We met up when I returned and Jono is as inspirational one on one as he is at his events – so I am terribly excited that his next event will be bigger than ever and held at Town Hall in Sydney …. details below

How you can help ? By spoiling yourself or someone you know to a night of kindness.  Join Jono and his team from Wake up Sydney for an uplifting evening in the magnificent Sydney Town Hall, Thursday 3 June 2010 as they explore our connection with the living earth. Celebrate in style with a special performance from Australia’s finest female vocalist, Katie Noonan and a stunning program of Indigenous dance + elevating film + inspirational guest speakers and meditation – followed by wine and chocolates. Come along, relax in the present moment and experience a renewed sense of kindness and gratitude towards Mother Earth. This unique experience is only for 2000 people and tickets are strictly limited. Proceeds will support our Wake up Sydney’s Kindness Card campaign (25,000 already distributed). Don’t miss out on the event of the year! Click here to find out more and book your tickets.

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Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia, yet Australians regard Diabetes as an issue of low public concern. . Unfortunately many Australians regard diabetes as less serious than heart disease and cancer, and many believe they know more about diabetes than they actually do. 1/3 of adults with diabetes are unaware they have it. 275 Australians develop diabetes every day with one person being diagnosed with Diabetes every 7 minutes.  As the sixth leading cause of death in Australia, it is critical we take action.Up to 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented. ( Source:  Australian Diabetes Council ,Diabetes ACT and Diabetes WA)

How to help now?  Australian Diabetes Council  has a wealth of information and contacts for your state or territory organisation. You can do an online test to see if you are at risk of Diabetes, or encourage any family members of friends you may know to check it out.
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(I am also a  big fan of all the work Bill Clinton does, especially his book Giving, How each of us can change the World)

How to help now? Visit STILLERSTRONG.org to learn how you can support their efforts

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Did you know Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world ? Melanoma is the fourth most common cancer, usually appearing as a pigmented skin lesion. Australia has the world’s highest incidence rate for melanoma.  Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach became a massive ‘crime scene’ on Sunday, 15 November  last year (start of National Skin Cancer Action Week) in a Cancer Council campaign that graphically depicted the dangers of tanning.  Startled beachgoers were greeted by the sight of 1700 towels stretched across the sand, each emblazoned with a ‘crime scene’ chalk outline of a ‘victim’. The towels are a graphic representation of the 1700 Australians who die each year from skin cancer. With one in four teens still getting sunburnt on a typical summer weekend,  and 43 per cent of teens believing a suntan ‘looks healthy’ Cancer Council believed it was time to send an “unambiguous message” about the deadly risks of tanning.

How to help ( yourself) now? Make sure you  are always diligent with covering up with sunglasses, hat, sunscreen and protective clothing. Go and get you skin checked regularly. Encourage your friends and family to do the same. Learn more at Cancer Council.  Keep yourself healthy and alive ( so you can keep reading this blog and keep helping  ;)

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I have always enjoyed it when I have volunteered for Starlight Day. In fact, I remember many years ago I was selling merchandise for Starlight Day down at Bondi Beach when Rene Rivkin sauntered over to me and said  ” What are you trying to sell today girly? ” I replied that I was selling small items such as pens and stars to help raise money for seriously ill children and their families for the Starlight Foundation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a money clip thick with green notes and handed me a fresh $100 bill. I must say it was the biggest sum I received all day, but I did have to wonder whether it was proportionately equivalent to the  $5 – $10 donation of the average punter for a guy who was worth tens of millions…  not to worry, the fact was he donated and you can too.

The Starlight Children’s Foundation needs your support this May to sell new and fun Starlight Day merchandise to help raise $2.8 million to ensure Starlight can brighten the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children across Australia. Starlight needs 7,000 volunteers to collect donations and sell merchandise in shopping centres, central business districts and train stations across Australia between Thursday 6 and Sunday 9 May.The support form the Australian public this Starlight Day will help Starlight reach seriously ill children and their families when they need it most.

How to help now ? Go to www.starlight.org.au to find out how volunteer to sell merchandise, organise a fundraiser or donate online

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On the news the other night I saw the 2010 Australian of the Year,  Professor Patrick McGorry talk of his wish to set a target of a zero for youth suicide.   The Professor is a mental health advocate,  an internationally renowned expert in adolescent mental health. In an interview with ABC’s Sunday Profile Professor McGorry revealed

“We know of the 35 per cent of people with mental disorders, only 35 per cent of them actually get treatment, compared to 80 or 90 per cent of people with physical health problems. When we look at young people, that drops down to 25 per cent in young men, 15 per cent. So rather than over-diagnosing and over-treating, we are grossly under-treating and under-recognising ” .

The recognition of Patrick McGorry as Australian of the Year  is in line with the increasing awareness of the need for better mental health care in our community. I personally have had friends and family touched by mental illness in their lives;  depression after the death of  a husband, post natal depression after the birth of a baby, a friend who lost her brother to suicide when he was only 17. These illnesses are as real and as debilitating as any form of physical ailment, yet the unmet need in the mental health area is double that of the physical health area

How you can help now? When you have time watch the following videos. The first is Patrick McGorry speaking about the increasing mental health illness amongst youth in a complex Australian society . The second is an advertisement from New Zealand that aims to help destigmatize mental illness in society and the third suicide survivor Terry Wise (  a national mental health award winner and author) who speaks of the darkness after after losing her husband.   Take the time to learn from these and do your part to help further understand and destigmatize mental health illness in your community.

( Also, Getup.org has just made a video with Patrick McGorry following the Health Care debate between Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbot that went for an hour and did not mention mental health once.  Watch it by clicking here. Sam March 28, 2010)