Lotus Education Program

Removing the stigma around mental illness is a long-term goal of MIFWA and its partners around the country. A key way of achieving this is to educate the community about the experience of mental illness.

The Lotus Education Program can educate the community sector as well as the general community about the experiences of people with a mental illness and their carers. The voices and perspectives of the people affected by mental illness are at the core of this innovative program.

Service providers and community members will find the right person for their particular needs from the speakers and trainers available through the Lotus Education Program. Universities, TAFEs and government departments are just some of the organisations that benefit from the valuable contribution of people who have experience and knowledge of mental illness and recovery.

Lotus education aims to reduce stigma and discrimination by:

• Enabling people with personal experience to share their stories of hope and recovery
• Promoting and supporting people with personal experience to give presentations and training as community educators and
• Using MIFWA’s existing networks to source a range of audiences to train and educate.

The Lotus education program includes the voices of

• People with a mental illness
• Children of people with a mental illness
• Carers/family members of people with a mental illness
• People with a mental illness and alcohol and other drug problems
• People who have experienced domestic violence in households where there is mental illness
• People with intergenerational trauma Issues

Cost

The Lotus fee structure aims to recoup costs for presenters and community educators from course participants or from agencies, organisations or government departments that access the Lotus services.

Wellness recovery action planning program (WRAP)

WRAP is a workshop on self management for people with mental illness.
Lotus also offers a mini anti burnout WRAP for carers and service providers as public workshops and also in-house for non-government organisations.

Costs for attendance at WRAP workshops:
$60 Full price
$30 Concession discount