In 2022, Relationships Australia released Relationship Indicators, a national survey exploring the role relationships play on our mental health and wellbeing. The findings demonstrated that mental health is placing a significant strain on relationships, especially for those living in regional, rural and remote places. The survey found that part of the challenge for these communities is their limited access to services and increasing natural disasters.
Neighbours Every Day (NED), formerly known as Neighbour Day, is Relationships Australia’s social connection campaign. It supports people to create and maintain respectful relationships through capacity building and awareness. It operates under a collective impact framework, recognising that communities know what is best for them.
NED seeks to address issues such as loneliness, mental ill-health and social isolation by creating communities in which everyone feels they can belong. Research demonstrates that strong social connection has a positive impact on the full spectrum of a person’s relationships.
Neighbours Every Day is just one of Relationships Australia’s responses. Relationships Australia NSW presents the Disaster Resilience Project, to support Community Resilience Leaders to develop their skills and empower their community to best respond to natural disasters.
Throughout this presentation, we will set the scene by presenting unreleased data on regional, rural and remote mental health from the Relationship Indicators survey. We will then explore the NED campaign and the Disaster Resilience Project, two approaches to building community capacity, including by empowering community leaders. There will be a particular focus on the role that rural leadership can play in preserving community mental health in the face of natural disasters. Although the challenges facing these communities are vast, this presentation will demonstrate the lasting impact community leaders can have in preserving and maintaining community mental health.

In 2022, Relationships Australia released Relationship Indicators, a national survey exploring the role relationships play on our mental health and wellbeing. The findings demonstrated that mental health is placing a significant strain on relationships, especially for those living in regional, rural and remote places. The survey found that part of the challenge for these communities is their limited access to services and increasing natural disasters.
Neighbours Every Day (NED), formerly known as Neighbour Day, is Relationships Australia’s social connection campaign. It supports people to create and maintain respectful relationships through capacity building and awareness. It operates under a collective impact framework, recognising that communities know what is best for them.
NED seeks to address issues such as loneliness, mental ill-health and social isolation by creating communities in which everyone feels they can belong. Research demonstrates that strong social connection has a positive impact on the full spectrum of a person’s relationships.
Neighbours Every Day is just one of Relationships Australia’s responses. Relationships Australia NSW presents the Disaster Resilience Project, to support Community Resilience Leaders to develop their skills and empower their community to best respond to natural disasters.
Throughout this presentation, we will set the scene by presenting unreleased data on regional, rural and remote mental health from the Relationship Indicators survey. We will then explore the NED campaign and the Disaster Resilience Project, two approaches to building community capacity, including by empowering community leaders. There will be a particular focus on the role that rural leadership can play in preserving community mental health in the face of natural disasters. Although the challenges facing these communities are vast, this presentation will demonstrate the lasting impact community leaders can have in preserving and maintaining community mental health.