Mind Blank

Last Friday all Darwin High School Year 10 and Year 11 students participated in the wellbeing program Mind Blank. 

Mind Blank is a highly acclaimed interactive performance which addresses wellbeing issues from a student perspective. The performance is a form of education for middle and senior students in the Northern Territory focusing on positive mental health, wellbeing and help seeking techniques.

The forum theatre performance the Year 10 students participated in was 'Understanding Depression: Fill in the blanks', which depicts the real life story of "Dan" and his experience of depression.

Dan finds himself in a variety of social situations that ultimately affect his mental health and present him with various dilemmas he has to navigate through, including dealing with change, peer pressure, family conflict and substance misuse. 

The audience is shown a “worse-case” mental health scenario from start to finish. Then the cast of the show replay certain scenes, taking suggestions from the audience as to how the conflicts could be better resolved. This project aims to increase the number of individuals seeking help regarding their emotional and social wellbeing and increase the identification, referral and treatment of at-risk individuals by service systems and professionals. 

This was the first time Mind Blank have delivered their performance to an audience this size and was a huge success. You can find out more information on Mind Blank by visiting http://www.mindblank.org.au/.

Anyone who would like more information or support on depression or suicide can contact Headspace or Beyond Blue. 

Darwin High School Year Level Coordinators, Assistant Principals and School Counselors are always available for student support as well.