Through the Eyes of Chloe: Quotes & Moments from the TheMHS Conference
When we invited our three young people to attend the TheMHS Conference and co-facilitate the Satellite Connect — Making the Hard Conversations Possible workshop, we also asked if they would provide a reflection of their experience across the four day inter-state trip to share with our wider Satellite community.
There weren’t many parameters. Our young participants were free to provide their reflection in any format they felt comfortable. The second reflection we are sharing is from Chloe (she/her) and she chose to provide her reflection in the form of a collage, putting the spotlight on conference highlights, key quotes and memorable moments from her four day experience in Canberra. As with Charlotte, we will provide some snapshots from Chloe’s collage and her full reflection will be available for viewing at the end of the article.
Chloe took part in Satellite Connect in 2023 and became a Youth Advisory Council member in 2024. She hopes to combine her lived experience with her academic background in psychological science and criminology, to advocate and create change in collaboration with other young people. She adores reading and last year read 115 books! She reads from a wide range of genres and is especially passionate about finding books with representation of different minorities, especially own voices novels.
On the presentation Making Change and Mental Illness — Reimagining How We Make a Difference From the Inside Out
“Amanda Tattersall was a keynote speaker that I found to be really inspiring and insightful. She is a Doctor of Social Change and discussed how a lot of her social change experience has been fueled by her lived experience”
On the presentation Breaking the stereotype — The Role of Intersectionality in Identifying ‘Carers’ and Facilitating Equitable Access
“Gabriel’s presentation resonated with me a lot. Every single word I connected with, especially as he discussed the barriers in young people identifying as carers. It means a lot of people are left behind without support.”
On TheMHS Sensory Room
“TheMHS had a sensory room available throughout the conference which was so wonderful and made me feel included and welcome.”
On Facilitating our workshop Satellite Connect — Making the Hard Conversations Possible workshop
“Facilitating our workshop was an incredible experience and something I wish we saw more of at this conference. Young people sharing their experiences and also more demonstrations of programs that then open conversations! I had some amazing feedback / conversations with delegates who participated about how valuable they found it and how they will be taking ideas on board and referring young people to Satellite and its programs; even quite a few out of state who I discussed our online program with!!!”
Final reflections from Chloe
“The bursary* made it accessible for me as a young person/carer. I also found the sensory room and quiet rooms provider to be helpful, though not specific to being a young person. I found the conversation starters we stuck on our badges also helpful as a young person it was easy to feel intimidated and out of place at the conference so that helped find common ground.”
*Satellite’s note to reader: TheMHS had a limited number of bursaries available to support consumers and carers who wish to attend The Mental Health Services Conference. We were lucky enough to be successful with our applications and got both full and partial bursaries to support this opportunity for young people to participate in, lead, and shape positive change in the Mental Health Sector.
On future possibilities: “A greater variety of speakers that include young people from different diverse backgrounds and as both carers and consumers. A more accessible experience in terms of networking with other young people would also be fantastic”
Looking Ahead
Next, we’ll dive into a video diary from Caleb another young attendee. Stay tuned for even more personal stories and reflections!
You can see Chloe’s full collage here:
