headspace Day: Perth Observatory Trip under Kambarang Skies

On Saturday 24 October, we celebrated headspace Day by taking a moment away from the busy city and light pollution to look at the moon and stars at the Perth Observatory. The theme of headspace Day was to ‘do nothing’, taking time to pause, reflect, and recharge. Intentionally stopping for a moment is crucial given our modern-day rapid pace and the pressure felt by young people to be constantly doing something and working towards their future. Notably, striking a balance with using social media seems important, though we recognise how young people use online spaces to spend time with friends and express themselves. headspace National surveyed more than 30,000 young people and found that 56% of young people felt overwhelmed by seeing the large amounts of information on social media. Yet 51% of young people responding felt worried they would miss something by disconnecting from social media. Our headspace Day event tied into this theme by reconnecting young people to their surroundings through their senses, taking a break from their phones, and learning about sky country and the history of astronomy in Boorloo.

Our free event was attended by 20 young people, three parents, and four support staff. We were grateful to meet six young people accessing accommodation services at Fusion Australia and four students from Clontarf Aboriginal College. We welcomed Rueben Hayden-Nelson, a Whadjuk Noongar, Ballardong, and Njaki Njaki man, who came with his grandson to share knowledge from one of the oldest continuing cultures. He emphasised the message of debarkarn, debarkarn (going along steady). We learnt about how the land changed over time, that the Milky Way reflects the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), and how the movement of stars are read as changes in the six seasons. We were grateful to be supported by four Perth Observatory volunteers, who told us about how the historical telescopes work and guided us to view the moon through a telescope. This event would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers, including our Youth Reference Group who came up with the idea and five volunteers who supported us on the night. headspace Cannington received funding from Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia’s Small Grants Program (supported by Lotterywest) and headspace National.

We encourage young people aged 12-25 and their friends, family, and kin to reach out to headspace Cannington for support and strategies to cope with life’s challenges at 9358 9800 or reception@headspacecannington.com.au. Another option is online and phone service, eheadspace (1800 650 890; daily 3pm–10pm). If you’re looking for someone to talk to immediately and available 24/7, please call Lifeline (13 11 14), 13 YARN (13 92 76), or MensLine (1300 78 99 78; ages 15+).