TAMWORTH'S youth workers will be better equipped to help tackle mental health problems thanks to a new hands-on course.
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The "mental health first-aid training" has been offered to Tamworth Aboriginal Land Council and Opportunity Hub workers to help them identify warning signs for mental health issues.
Tamworth Opportunity Hub futures mentor Charlie Abra said the training would be vital to help young people cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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"It's about giving us more skill sets to identify if anyone is struggling with mental health issues and how we can go about supporting them," Ms Abra told the Leader.
"All of us within the Tamworth Opportunity Hub will be taking part in the training, so it will be good for all of us to have those skills should anyone need our help."
Ms Abra said the training would be a "proactive way" to help people discuss mental health issues openly.
"It is certainly really timely with everything that is going on in the world right now," she said.
"A lot of times these things are a bit of an unspoken subject.
"However, I think COVID-19 has really shone a light on all of that sort of stuff.
"From my point of view, it is really cool to be able to do this sort of training and that it is out there on offer."
As well as helping those in need, Ms Abra said the training would also allow her to pass on what she had learnt to the community.
"Personally, I'm really looking forward to getting a better understanding of how everyone can help," she said.
"Anybody can make a difference and in times like these it's more important than ever.
"It's pretty cool and hopefully we can use this training to help one another going forward."
- Lifeline 13 11 14.
- Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.