April Community newsletter: Staying connected and reducing loneliness

April: Staying connected and reducing loneliness

Hello!

April has always been my least favourite time of year... the sudden drop in temperature, the shift out of daylight savings, and the signs that we're inevitably heading in to Melbourne's winter, all leave me feeling a little glum.

This usually leaves me feeling less inclined to head out but this month, I'm making a conscious effort to stay connected to all the good things happening out in our community.

If, like me, you need a little convincing to get yourself out the door, here's some information about how community events can support your mental health and wellbeing:

"Community" in all its many forms, plays a vital role in improving our mental health, particularly by reducing loneliness.

Attending community events like those shared in our events calendar, fosters a sense of belonging and connection, allowing individuals to share experiences, build relationships, and feel understood.

And perhaps most importantly, for diverse communities, finding events where our identities are celebrated, can foster greater cultural pride too.

Scroll below to see events happening near you, hope to see you out and about!

❤️ Asami

P.S. Have an event to share? Reply to this email with “I have an event,” and we’ll be in touch!

🦉Interesting events relating to mental health and Asian diaspora identity:

Our creative arts therapy program for Asian international students -Creative Community Care - will be returning in Semester 1 of 2025. Click the link here to sign up now! 

• 🎨 Location: Latrobe University, City Campus: 360 Collins Street, VIC 
• 🖼️ Date/Time: Every Tuesday until April 29th, 6.30pm - 8.00pm

Other community events this month include...

🎙️ April 4: Come celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mandopop legends sodagreen at their concerts this year!

🎵 April 6/9/12: K-rock group DAY6 (데이식스) will bring their highly anticipated WORLD TOUR <FOREVER YOUNG>  to Australia & New Zealand in April 2025. Tickets on sale now on Live Nation. 

🎥 April 9: Join the Asian Cinema Collective for a special 4K restoration of cult-classic Indonesian martial arts movie The Raid on the big screen at Melbourne's Chinatown Cinema! 

🎭 April 10: Following sold-out shows at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Festival and Adelaide Fringe, laugh your heart out to an award-winning besharam (shameless) line-up of Indian, Pakistani and South Asian comedians at Brown Women Comedy 2025. Multiple shows available in Melbourne and Sydney across April. 

🇰🇷 April 14/16: Bringing some of South Korea’s rising indie artists to Australia, the Korea Spotlight will return down under after its debut at SXSW Sydney in 2023. 

🏃‍♂️ April 15: Come along to Shakti Mental Health's Migrant Men Circle to learn and support one another towards building healthier lives, families and communities.

Looking ahead...

🥁 May 15/17: Drummer and co-founder of Hong Kong rock band BEYOND, Yip Sai Wing brings his ‘YOU & ME’ World Tour to Australia in May 2025. 

Have an event that you'd like to share? Reply to this email with "I have an event!" and we'll be in touch.

🔎 Searching for a therapist?

Connect with our new practitioners below, or share this page with someone who may need this  

🎤 Therapist spotlight.

Get to know art psychotherapist and somatic experiencing practitioner, Simone Shu Yin Chan via our interview:

"Do not compare your journey with others, as we each have our own paths to walk."

✨Thank you for reading up to this point!

We rely heavily on your generous support to provide ongoing and free mental health resources to Asian communities in Australia.

Support Shapes and Sounds HERE.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently in social media land,

Our amazing Creative Community Care facilitators, Stef and Tanya, shared what Art and Music therapy entails. If this sounds like something you are interested in, sign up to our CCC sessions here now!