EBPU representatives head down under!
27 November 2019
Rosa Town reflects on a recent trip to Australia, and what she learned from international colleagues working in children and young people's mental health.
After the conference, I flew to Melbourne partly for vacation and partly to do a bit more work. While there, I was given a tour of Orygen’s new offices by Dr Magenta Simmons, who is a Senior Research Fellow and the Youth Partnerships in Research Coordinator. I was hugely impressed by the building which was co-designed by young people and parents. In true Aussie style, Orygen has loads of outdoor deck space and their very own barbeque, which Magenta informed me is popular at events with young people. In fact, the therapy rooms at Orygen were also designed by young people – one type is cosy and rounded like a comfortable cave, while the other has two doors, making it easy to access outside areas. Following the tour, Magenta took me to the Melbourne Zoo which is a stone’s throw from Orygen, and we had a delightful time trying to spot the shy Aussie native animals, including koalas, kangaroos, wombats, a kookaburra, and Tasmanian devils.A few days later, I also visited the Melbourne School of Population & Global Health at the University of Melbourne, where I attended a team meeting and heard about the fascinating work going on there.
The rest of my time in Melbourne was spend eating incredible food, going on a driving trip along the Great Ocean Road where I saw wild koalas (!!), enjoying the beautiful weather, and just taking in the fantastic Australian culture. My husband Peter came along for the Melbourne leg of my trip, and we truly enjoyed every moment of it. I am so grateful to EBPU for supporting my trip to attend IAYMH 2019, and I’m already planning my next trip back to Oz!