Giz A Break wins the 2020 Primary Healthcare Award for Innovation

A youth-focused initiative aimed at building resilience has won the 2020 Murrumbidgee Primary Healthcare Award for Innovation.

Giz A Break, a project developed by Sönke Tremper and Daniel Thomson to combat the effects of drought on young people in the Murrumbidgee, has provided 37 local teenagers the opportunity to participate in camping adventures, filled with a range of activities designed to build their resilience.

MPHN Board Chair Dr Jodi Culbert congratulated the Giz A Break team on their efforts to improve the mental health of young people in the region.

“The Innovation award recognises activities promoting new or creative ways to improve the health and wellbeing of our community; or improve business outcomes,” Dr Culbert said.

“Innovation requires being open to and testing new ideas, and this is certainly the case with Giz A Break, which is an innovative health promotion initiative that takes a whole of community approach to building young people's resilience.”

Giz A Break’s Daniel Thomson said he was grateful to be the recipient of this year’s award.

“It was a real privilege to take these young adults on camp and to experience some fun times, which at times tested our resilience,” he said.

“We had quite a few challenges along the way which we were able to negotiate as a team; we saw some awesome sights; the feedback from the camps was exceptional.

“We’d like to thank Murrumbidgee PHN for their support, it’s a real investment in the future of these young people.”

The Wagga Women’s Health Centre’s after hours service was recognised as the runner-up in the award category. For more than three years, the Centre has provided after hours services to the women of Wagga Wagga and the surrounding areas, enabling greater access to crisis support.