Kookaburra Kids 2020

1. Tell us about Kookaburra Kids and your new online initiative, Kookaburra Kids Connect?

Connect is a semi-structured “chat” using ZOOM as the platform for all AKKF youth (new and old).
It aims to form and strengthen connections and empower resilience through promoting safe and positive help-seeking behaviours, social connectedness across demographics and improved mental health literacy.

2. What have you learned are the greatest benefits of delivering an online program?

Connect enables us to reach young people across Australia regardless of socioeconomic status or demographic, it forms connections of support and belongingness in areas that previously were not possible and helps strengthen national connectedness.
It is relatively low cost to run and maintain and is far more readily adaptable than face to face programs for changing needs of participants. 

3. What were some of the important considerations you had when developing an online program for children?

Ensuring an environment of safety and trust was integral along with how to actively promote enthusiastic engagement across the age groups. Ensuring that the program met foundational requirements of youth health needs such as being affordable, accessible and appropriate were key considerations along with ensuring that the program facilitated our organisational mission and values. 

4. How do you see online service delivery playing a part in your organisation moving forward?

I see Kookaburra Connect as on ongoing program offering across the nation. Ideally being the driving factor to the enablement of being able to deliver more face to face programs across more diverse demographics, increasing the strength and quality of connectedness amongst young people, volunteers and staff at AKKF. 

5. If you had one piece of advice in regards to online service delivery, what would it be?

Know the limitations of your tech abilities and ensure you have technical support available also appreciate the online environment requires a completely different risk matrix for safe social interactions. 

6. In consideration of Connect, how does KKC…

Increase community connection?

KKC enables young people, volunteers and staff to engage in meaningful youth driven communication with each other across the nation, regardless of geographic location. 

Reduce social isolation?

KKC is delivered on-line and sessions are run by age group of young people. This enables the YP's to connect with like peers on a virtual platform creating a sense of belongingness and support from the AKKF community regardless of social status or location.

Improve community resilience?

Broadly constructed from principles of Motivational Interviewing, Interpersonal Psychotherapy &  Ego-oriented therapy, mental health literacy is encouraged through emotional competence building communications using a community integrated approach to normalising connection.

Establish infrastructure or equipment that supports or enables communities to connect, support and rebuild?

The online program has low running and maintenace costs and is easily adapted to a changing environment

Rebuild social fabric?

KKC is an opportunity to develop new connections and rebuild the foundations of what meaningful connection is to all young people who participate; by doing this help-seeking behaviours can be improved reducing the severity of or risks of later developing a serious mental illness.