{"id":29088,"date":"2025-08-26T10:25:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T02:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=29088"},"modified":"2025-08-27T15:46:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T07:46:27","slug":"community-spirit-and-science-combine-in-wa-mental-health-push","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/community-spirit-and-science-combine-in-wa-mental-health-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Community spirit and science combine in WA mental health push"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Curtin University has launched the next phase of Western Australia\u2019s Act Belong Commit<\/a> campaign, drawing on Curtin research<\/a> that highlights the power of community engagement \u2013 including participation in Men\u2019s Sheds \u2013 to boost wellbeing and combat loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A survey of more than 330 members from 78 Men\u2019s Sheds across WA found that feeling safe, supported and valued encouraged regular participation, building stronger social networks and leading to a greater sense of purpose, comfort and companionship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead researcher Professor Peter McEvoy from Curtin\u2019s School of Population Health said the findings demonstrated the importance of supportive community environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur research shows that when people feel included in settings like Men\u2019s Sheds, they\u2019re more likely to engage \u2013 and that engagement can have profound mental health benefits,\u201d Professor McEvoy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis kind of meaningful social connection is a critical buffer against loneliness, particularly for older men facing life transitions like retirement or bereavement. These insights reinforce the core message of Act Belong Commit: that staying connected and involved can be life-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developed by the Curtin School of Population Health and supported by Healthway and the WA Mental Health Commission, Act Belong Commit encourages people to protect their mental wellbeing by staying active, connected and involved in meaningful pursuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campaign Co-Director Professor Christina Pollard, also from Curtin\u2019s School of Population Health, said the next phase of the campaign would continue to share relatable stories that inspire action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeeping mentally healthy is just as important as staying physically fit \u2013 and the good news is there are simple, evidence-based actions we can all take to protect our mental wellbeing,\u201d Professor Pollard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis campaign shows that being part of something \u2013 whether it\u2019s a community garden, a local football club or a Men\u2019s Shed \u2013 is not only good for individuals but also strengthens communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a network of more than 550 partner organisations, the campaign features groups such as the Waterwheel Community Shed in Armadale, Padbury Community Garden, Indigenous youth yoga program Deadly Minds, the High Wycombe Football Club and Men\u2019s Sheds WA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campaign Manager Jessica Nella, from Mentally Healthy WA, said the campaign focused on making mentally healthy behaviours easy and accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to help people take that first step \u2013 because whether learning a new skill, connecting with others or volunteering, small changes can lead to big improvements in mental health,\u201d Ms Nella said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curtin researchers will continue to evaluate the campaign\u2019s impact across WA, with Professor McEvoy\u2019s ongoing work with Men\u2019s Sheds WA set to provide further insights into how supportive community environments promote wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about Act Belong Commit, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curtin University has launched the next phase of Western Australia\u2019s Act Belong Commit campaign, drawing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4307,"featured_media":29098,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"5870,8216,5401,7862,4685,5964","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":35,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,35,4],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-29088","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-public-health","category-research"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":"","photographer":"","media":[24386,24387]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}},"experts":false},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Waterwheel-Shed-unbranded-1000x1080.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Lucien","last_name":"Wilkinson","display_name":"Lucien Wilkinson"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/29088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/29088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29088"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=29088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}