Post by Melinda Atkinson, YAM Instructor and Trainer.
The first half of 2018 has seen YAM being implemented in numerous schools in the Illawarra Shoalhaven area of New South Wales in Australia. Located immediately south of Sydney along the east coast, the region stretches over a distance of 150 kilometres from Wollongong to Ulladulla. 19 government schools and 7 Independent / Catholic schools chose to participate in the YAM program across two school terms. In total, over 3300 Year 9 students from nearly 150 classes participated in YAM, with 32 Instructors working with the youth from the various schools. The significant uptake of the program clearly demonstrates the school’s enthusiasm and commitment to YAM and mental health. Many Instructors have commented that youth have engaged positively with the program, expressing their appreciation of the opportunity to talk openly about issues relating to their own and others’ mental health. Comments from the youth such as “It is so important to talk about this stuff”, “Can we do more role plays?”, “You don’t tell us answers, but let us figure out what choices we have” have been frequently heard during numerous YAM sessions.
YAM is now being delivered in schools in the Central Coast region of NSW and will return to the Illawarra Shoalhaven region in 2019, as these schools highly value the program’s important contribution to the wellbeing of their youth.
