Last Friday, Participants from our Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program came together to celebrate Christmas in July.

Participants enjoyed opportunities to connect and collaborate by watching the Christmas movie “ELF” whilst creating Christmas themed diamond art fridge magnets and coasters. The movie was then followed by a delicious lunch of Chicken rolls which was very appreciated by all that attended!

Creative activities and shared social experiences can support wellbeing by providing opportunities to relax, connect with others and enjoy meaningful participation. Both activities give your brain a healthy break from daily worries and help you feel calm and happy.

Events like these help Participants build confidence, strengthen relationships, develop social connections and foster a sense of belonging, all of which can support their journey towards employment and community participation.

In July, Participants from our Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program came together for a fun Pride celebration.

The morning featured a diamond art workshop and a blackboard drawing competition, giving Participants the opportunity to express themselves creatively while connecting with others in a supportive environment.

As the artwork took shape, the Status team explored the positive role creativity can play in supporting mental wellbeing. Creative activities provide opportunities for self-expression, confidence building, social connection and celebrating individual identity. For many Participants, creativity became a powerful tool for self‑acceptance, empowerment and connection, especially within the LGBTQ+ community celebrating pride.

The event also sparked meaningful conversations about how art can support people experiencing challenges such as anxiety, depression and identity‑related struggles. Beyond celebrating creativity, the day reinforced the importance of creating spaces where people feel valued, included and heard.

The session was a wonderful reminder that when people are supported to express themselves and celebrate who they are, communities become stronger, more inclusive and more connected.

Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) Participant, Shane, plans to use his lived with mental health to support others.

Having lived with depression and anxiety over a long period of time, Shane was referred by a GP for 8 sessions of psychotherapy during which he was diagnosed with ADHD and Autism.

Shane was able to use this diagnosis to commence with Status IEA in early 2025. After attending a few appointments with Status, the team suggested to Shane that he may be interested in accessing further mental health and wellbeing support. Open to the idea, Shane was referred to NEAMI and started accessing regular support from the organisation.

"𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘌𝘈𝘔𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭."

With support from NEAMI, Shane gradually developed strategies for his social anxiety by taking small steps, including building confidence in social settings and progressing towards attending group sessions. His first group session was a coffee catch‑up, which he approached with some apprehension, but it became a turning point. From there, Shane grew in confidence and began attending group sessions nearly every day across both NEAMI and Status.

At Status, Shane began attending the Empower Program, which supports Participants to develop essential workplace skills to assist them in their job search. He also took part in Joondalup’s monthly events, including Christmas in July and RUOK? Day celebrations, which further helped him build social confidence.

Shane has also grown in confidence with driving. Although he had obtained his licence when he was younger, mental health challenges had previously impacted his confidence behind the wheel. With renewed confidence, Shane chose to revisit driving and began completing lessons to further build his skills.

Through these lessons, Shane steadily built his confidence behind the wheel, gradually progressing to driving independently. He has even gone on to purchase his own car, a significant milestone in his journey!

"𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵."

With a goal of using his lived experience with mental health to support others, Shane worked with George to identify next steps to achieve this. As he had been out of study for some time, they identified a Certificate II in General Education as the best pathway, allowing Shane to rebuild his academic skills and become eligible for a Certificate III in Community Services.

During his Certificate II in General Education, Shane discovered a scholarship opportunity through Consumers of Mental Health WA (COMHWA) to enrol in the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work, a course designed specifically for people with lived experience of mental health.

"𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 2025 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭/𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴."

After completing the lengthy paperwork to apply, he was invited to a group interview, where Shane successfully secured the scholarship!

Soon after completing his Certificate II in General Education, Shane enrolled in the in Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work. He is loving his studies, enjoying the weeks he is at TAFE more than the weeks he is not! Pictured is Shane holding a piece of artwork he made for TAFE for an assignment.

"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴."

As Shane continues his studies, his journey reflects strong determination and commitment to both his mental health and employment goals. Upon completing his qualification, he will be well positioned to find employment as a Mental Health Support Worker.

George and the Joondalup team will continue to support him and his goals, including helping him to find work when the time comes!

This May, Status is shining a spotlight on Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in recognition of IBD Awareness Month.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗕𝗗?
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It affects the digestive system and can cause a range of symptoms that impact everyday activities.

Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are lifelong conditions. People may experience periods with minimal or no symptoms, known as remission, as well as periods when symptoms become more active, referred to as flare‑ups.

• More than 1 in 3 people have symptoms for over a year before receiving a diagnosis
• It takes longer than 5 years to diagnose over 10% of patients
• It takes over 5 years before 50% of people have their IBD symptoms under control
• Over 180,000 Australians have a current diagnosis

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗕𝗗
Recently, a group of staff from Status Western Australia completed the IBD in the Workplace training, strengthening their understanding of the physical and mental impacts of IBD, workplace rights for Participant’s living with the condition, and practical ways to support Participants transitioning into suitable employment.

As part of the training, the team also took part in an interactive experience focused on building a support network, managing the stress and physical symptoms of IBD, and making informed decisions about disclosing a diagnosis and transitioning into the workforce.

This initiative is led by Chad (pictured), Employment Services Area Manager for the West in Western Australia, who has lived with Crohn’s disease for the past 7 years and brings valuable lived experience to his role. Employment Consultant Holley is also passionate about the initiative, as she is living with Crohn’s and has firsthand experience navigating the day‑to‑day challenges associated with the condition.

𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝗕𝗗 𝗗𝗮𝘆
On 19 May, staff across Adelaide and Perth will be observing World IBD Day, with our Western Australian team also holding an internal raffle to raise funds for Crohn’s & Colitis Australia thanks to a generously donated signed poster from the West Coast Eagles!

We are proud to continue building our knowledge and skills to better support our Participants, including a young Participant in Kwinana living with Crohn’s, who has shared how meaningful it is to see their provider leading education, awareness, and celebration of the condition.

We are committed to making employment accessible for everyone. If you or someone you know is living with IBD, contact us to learn how we can support the journey into employment.

Veronica came to Status Kwinana looking for the right support to return to work. Working closely with her Employment Coach, Doreen, they began exploring long term employment options that suited Veronica’s strengths and experience.

To help build confidence and refresh her skills, Veronica enrolled in Pivot Training’s Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program. She brought valuable experience as a truck driver and traffic controller, and was keen to return to employment. However, she needed a role that was less physically demanding.

Through strong employer connections, the team was notified about a vacant Bus Aide role, supporting children travelling to and from school. The team recognised this as a good fit for Veronica and discussed the opportunity with her. While this was not an industry she had previously considered, Veronica was open to giving it a go.

As a grandmother with an electric personality, Veronica quickly showed she had the warmth and patience needed to support children and help create a positive, welcoming environment during their daily school transport.

The Status team supported Veronica throughout the application process and worked closely with the employer to arrange interview adjustments. Knowing Veronica was feeling nervous ahead of the interview, the team made sure the employer understood she may feel anxious at the start.

Doreen also helped Veronica prepare by organising interview clothes and meeting her at the interview location beforehand to offer reassurance. By the time the interview began, Veronica felt confident enough to attend on her own, and she performed very well. She later shared that even if she had not been offered the role, the experience had already helped build her readiness for future opportunities.

Shortly after the interview, Veronica received a call inviting her to take part in a work trial. One week later, following a successful trial, she was offered the role.

“I’d like to thank Doreen from the bottom of my heart for helping me find my forever job.”

We are proud to have supported Veronica through her training and employment journey, leading to meaningful work that aligns with her strengths, experience and interests.