Project Emily

Emily was a beautiful, funny and vibrant young 16 year old girl who enjoyed the support of a loving family and many like minded friends. However, Emily also suffered from clinical depression; a diagnosis that she received just 3 short months before tragically taking her own life.

In a freelance article I wrote for this years RUOK? Day -

http://westernweekender.com.au/how-emilys-death-can-be-a-lesson-to-us-all/

I spoke about how we desperately need to raise the profile of Mental Health Awareness in this country and start educating parents and young people from kindergarten on wards how to recognise and address the early warning signs of anxiety and depression.

For me, Emily's tragic loss was indicative of how it is far too late to wait until someone is drowning to try and teach them how to swim. Emily had just received a diagnosis, had started medication and was in regular treatment but sadly it wasn't enough. All Emily wanted was to be a "normal" happy 16 year old and she unfortunately lacked the capacity to comprehend and process her diagnosis. Sadly instead of offering her hope it merely offered her a label.

Since Emily's death I have made it my mission to do everything in my power to help raise the profile of Mental Health in this country and to work to help young people change their definition of "normal" in order to hopefully remove the stigma of Mental Health Illness once and for all.

I have now written a children's book in Emily's honour entitled "Emily and the VERY big feeling" and my vision for this book is to also have it contain a detailed resource section in the back that would provide helpful tips from organisations such as Headspace, Smiling Mind & the R U OK? Foundation. This section would include vital information such as;

How and where to get help
How to have difficult conversations and how to encourage children to communicate and share their true feelings (regardless how big or scary)
How to properly recognise the early warning signs of Anxiety and Depression in young children.
How to help children become equipped with self-help tools & techniques such as Mindfulness Meditation, Laughter therapy, Art therapy, Music Therapy etc.

It is also my sincere wish to help my best friend have the opportunity to help heal her shattered heart (even if only a little) by giving her a platform through which to honour her daughter by helping to save other young lives and also to ultimately save other parents ever having to endure such unimaginable and senseless heartbreak. I plan to do this by having her write the forward to the book and to share in her own words her support and her hopes for other parents and children battling with Mental Health Illness.

Since losing her daughter my best friend bravely continued on to finish a personal training qualification that she had already commenced and has also since started her own business named "Shine Bright Fitness" in her daughters honour. It is also my goal to help her create a meaningful platform through which she can utilise her skills and talents to help other young people who are bravely battling Mental Health Illnesses.

Funds raised will be used publish the book.

This funding proposal is to help me begin to give this project traction. I would like to initially create, promote and advertise a nationwide illustration competition for High School Students to expose them to the content of the book while also allowing them to be an integral part of the aim of the book. I will then use the funds raised from this appeal as well as funds raised from charging a small entry free on the illustration competition to self publish the book and begin to promote it to schools and book shops.

Any business or organisation that pledges over $1000 will have their logo featured inside the book as a minor sponsor and any donation over $5000 will see the organisation heralded as a major sponsor of the book.

Here is a brief excerpt from the book. To have access to the full manuscript please contact me on TheWordsmith@outlook.com.au

“....See those stars Emily?” Mum said. “Do you think that you could ever count them all?” Emily wished she could, but knew she probably couldn’t.

“Probably not” she answered honestly.

“Well, you know what? That is how much I love you, and how much I WILL always love you.” Emily could tell that she was being honest too.

“I don’t know why you are sad my darling and I do not know how to fix this for you but I can promise you this; you are loved beyond measure, you are perfect just as you are AND you are never EVER alone.”

“We could look at the stars and see only tiny things that are impossible to count or we can look at them and see brilliant perfect diamonds that sparkle with wonder and possibility” Said mum gently.

“You are my star my darling, and when I look at you I do not just see a big ball of tiny problems that are too many to count.” “I see a brave unbreakable diamond just waiting to find her sparkle......"


Funds from the sale of the book will be used to start the 'Shine Bright Foundation' that would fund the creation and introduction of the "Shine Bright Mind & Body Sessions" that would be delivered in schools to at risk students in order to help educate participants how to increase emotional wellness through physical activity and also how to listen to their body, self-soothe in times of distress and also how to properly care for their mind and body in a practical and holistic way.