SPEAKERS

George Yengi, Co-Founder, Me + Mental Health Project

Moses Ronyi, Co-Founder, Me + Mental Health Project and Community Advocate

Adongwot Manyoul, Communications professional, youth advocate and thought leader

Lameck Maneneka, Student, Victoria University

Katherine Monson, Social Worker, Orygen

 

Topic

This seminar will showcase a theatre production project, produced by members of the South Sudanese and other African Australian communities. The production, “Me + Mental Health”, takes the format of a dialogue theatre, and was initially aimed at promoting intergenerational dialogue about mental health in the community.

Whilst the initial aim was focused on encouraging conversations in communities about mental health, as it evolved, what became apparent was the fact that there needed to be a greater connection between communities and mental health service providers.

The project members are therefore keen to also involve service providers in this conversation, as they believe this is an opportunity for mutual learnings to take place.  

The seminar will feature some of the founding members and actors involved in the production, who will share and reflect on their involvement, and on how the Me + Mental Health project is supporting conversations about mental health in the community.

About the speakers

George is the co-founder of Me + Mental Health Project and the founder of Lorrok. Lorrok is an African Australian not-for-profit organisation that aims to build stronger and more resilient African Australian communities. George’s homeland is South Sudan. His family migrated to Australia in late 1999 and settled in Adelaide. Since then, George has grown his passion for community work and works within many community organization’s that aim to support the development of young people, particularly those from migrant backgrounds around Australia. George hopes the Me +Mental Health project can add to all the hard work that is being done to build a better tomorrow for all.

Moses is a community enabler who has been working in community for a few years, with a passion for community strengthening and development. His current role involves working with vulnerable community members and the wider community to connect with services within local municipality. As community advocates, Moses and George founded Me + Mental Health to create mental health awareness within these communities and to find simple solutions to create such understanding, and normalise mental health as a discussion topic within homes. Moses has lived in Melbourne, Australia for over 20 years. He came to Australia at a young age to obtain primary school education in Australia. Moses has worked in various non-for profit organisations and is now working for a local city council.

Adongwot is an experienced communications professional, youth advocate and thought leader. As a bi-cultural consultant, radio host and MC, her passions lie in supporting the community to achieve social cohesion through the elimination of racism and discrimination and promoting intergenerational dialogue. Adongwot participated in the Me + Mental Health Production, playing Nyanamiol, the aunty figure who understood the plight of both the older and younger generation.

Lameck was born in Congo and raised in Australia. Lameck is a current university student, studying Criminal Justice at Victoria University. Motivated with the need to help others, Lameck participates in many community events and programs, predominately those that look to advocate, educate, and empower the different types of cultures presented within Australia. Having participated in the Me + Mental Health production, Lameck was given the leading role of James, a young man who struggles to understand and accept the African social ideology, that mental health is nothing but ‘masajat’ otherwise known as mood swings. 

Katherine is a social worker, working in the Community Development team at Orygen.

Eligibility

VTMH seminars are open to individuals, from all disciplines and working in all sectors, who are based in Australia and interested in diversity and mental health.  

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