Thank you for your interest receiving financial support (a bursary) to attend the National Suicide Prevention Conference 2018 in Adelaide, South Australia. The Conference provides a limited number of bursaries to assist Australian residents who have a lived experience of suicide (and who are involved with local suicide prevention organisations) to attend the 3-day conference. Before applying, please ensure you have spoken with your employer and/or family so that you will know that you have their support if you are offered a bursary. You will need to be available for all three days of the conference. You will need to think about your travel time, especially if you will need an extra day before or after the conference because this will affect the amount of time you are away from home and your natural support networks. Bursary recipients make a commitment to attend all three (3) days of the conference: Tuesday 24 - Thursday 26 July 2018. Monday 23 July Pre-conference workshops Not included in bursary. Attend at your own expense. Tuesday 24 July Day 1 of Conference Wednesday 25 July Day 2 of Conference Thursday 26 July Day 3 of Conference Attendance required Attendance required Attendance required We will advise you of the outcome of your application by 7.00pm AEST Tuesday, 22 May 2018 (Sydney time). Why have bursaries? Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA) supports and encourages representation of those with a lived experience in discussions and activities about suicide prevention. There are many barriers that can make it harder for some people to attend the conference. The National Suicide Prevention Conference bursary fund helps individuals with a lived experience of suicide to attend the conference. SPA defines a lived experience of suicide as: Having experienced suicidal thoughts, survived a suicide attempt, cared for someone who has attempted suicide, been bereaved by suicide, or have been touched by suicide in another way. We know that many people with a lived experience of suicide also identify as mental health consumers and/or carers. What will you ask me? We will ask you questions to help the selection committee understand why you want to attend the conference and what makes it difficult or impossible for you to attend without financial support. This means that we need some quite personal information in order for the selection committee to make their choice. However, you should only share information that you are comfortable sharing. In addition, some funders prefer to support people who fit a certain demographic - this could be your location, age, gender identity, cultural background or something else. We need to ask these personal questions to help determine how to allocate funds. Every question is important.
We also acknowledge that completing this online form can be difficult for some people. The committee is judging applications on your answers, not how well you write. SPA staff are available by phone to record your answers to these questions if that is easier for you. Please email livedexp@suicidepreventionaust.org or call 02 9262 1130 on business days between 9am and 5pm to organise a suitable time for the conversation. Provision of bursaries is completely dependent on the Conference receiving funding from state and territory governments and other sponsors. The Conference cannot guarantee the availability of bursary scholarships for the Conference. What does a bursary cover? There are three possible parts of a bursary: 1. Travel to and from the conference (e.g. flights, taxis, public transport) 2. Accommodation 3. Conference registration for conference dates of 24-26 July 2018 inclusive Not all applicants require a full bursary. You will be asked to identify if you need a full or partial bursary in the application. Bursaries do not cover expenses for food (except for food provided at the Conference), costs associated with dry cleaning, room service, pay TV, movie hire, mini-bar, tips or other personal expenses. You will need to cover some costs yourself. You will likely have to pay for your own meals while travelling, as well as Wednesday breakfast and dinner, and Thursday breakfast. Conference will conclude around 3pm on Thursday, so you may also need to pay for your dinner. When is my application due? Bursary applications must be received by SPA no later than 7.00pm AEST (Sydney time) on Wednesday 28 February 2018, no matter how you submit your application (e.g. online, email, post or by phone interview). To be eligible to apply for a bursary, you must: Answer all questions in the application honestly Have a lived experience of suicide Be actively involved in a local Suicide Prevention Network (if one exists in your area) or other suicide prevention organisations such as not-for-profit, your local Primary Health Network, attending forums or community consultations, participating in suicide prevention research, etc. Demonstrate financial reasons why you would be unable to attend the conference without a bursary Be aged 18 and older (or accompanied by a parent/guardian); note that a parent/guardian escorting an under-18 year old delegate attends at their own expense Reside in Australia
Am I ready to attend the Conference? Please think carefully about the potential impact of being among 550+ people, all of whom are talking about suicide in some context, such as researchers, academics and service providers as well as people who have a lived experience of suicide. For some attendees, the added layer of being away from home and their normal day-to-day routines can contribute to personal distress. The conference provides counsellors on all days and a dedicated quite room is provided for people to step away from the busyness of the conference, but only you can determine your own readiness to attend the Conference. Members of the Lived Experience Network tell us these documents do help them: Thinking about your personal readiness to be involved, Guide to Self-Care and the Guide to Language.
Your answers to the questions that follow form your application for a bursary. All questions are important and required. You will need to complete the application in one session. To complete the Application online, click HERE. 1. Are you an Australian resident? Yes No 2. Do you have a lived experience of suicide? Select all that apply. No, I do not have a lived experience of suicide I have had suicidal thoughts. I have survived a suicide attempt. I care or have cared for someone who had suicidal behaviours. I have lost someone to suicide (bereavement). I have workplace exposure to suicide (eg policy, ambulance, counsellor etc). I have been touched by suicide in another way. 3. Are you willing and able to attend the entire duration of the conference (Tuesday 24 July, Wednesday 25 July and Thursday 26 July 2018) at the Adelaide Convention Centre, South Australia? Yes No 4. Please enter your contact details First name Family name/last name What year were you born? (4-digits, eg 1951) Where do you live? (suburb / town) Postcode State or Territory Email address Confirm email address Best daytime phone number Other daytime phone number (if none, please write NIL)
5. Which Primary Health Network provides services in your residential area? Australian Capital Territory Murrumbidgee Nepean Blue Mountains Northern Sydney Western NSW Western Sydney Hunter New England and Central Coast North Coast South Eastern NSW Central and Eastern Sydney South Western Sydney Northern Territory Darling Downs and West Moreton Brisbane North Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast Gold Coast Northern Queensland Western Queensland Brisbane South Adelaide Country SA Tasmania Eastern Melbourne South Eastern Melbourne Gippsland Murray North Western Melbourne Western Victoria Perth North Country WA Perth South
6. Please select from the list below all that are relevant to you personally. Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Regional Rural Remote Culturally diverse Linguistically diverse LGBTIQ or other gender / sexuality diverse Fly In, Fly Out Youth Male Other recognised demographic population experiencing high rates of suicide (please specify) 7. Please share your lived experience story. 8. Have you received a bursary to attend the National Suicide Prevention Conference before? Yes, Perth (2014) Yes, Hobart (2015) Yes, Canberra (2016) Yes, Brisbane (2017) No
9. Have you applied (or do you plan to apply) to make a presentation (including a poster) at the conference? (The application to present at the conference is done through the presentation process via the conference website: Yes, I have applied to present Yes, I plan to apply to present No, I do not plan to apply to present 10. Please provide information about your current or past involvement in suicide prevention sector organisations/groups/committees. (If you are not involved, please write NA.) 11. Please select the course(s) or training workshops you have completed in the area of suicide prevention. suicidetalk safetalk Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) esuicidetalk Wesley Mission's Suicide Prevention Half Day Workshop Community Response to Eliminating Suicide (CORES) QPR Online Gatekeeper Training Mental Health First Aid course (any version) AISRAP's Suicide Prevention Skills Training Workshop (Griffith University) Other (please specify)
12. Employment status Full time Part time Unpaid/volunteer Not working Other (please specify) 13. Do you work in either a paid-capacity or a volunteer-capacity directly with an organisation (corporate, not-for-profit or government) that provides services or programs for any of the groups listed below? Aboriginal people Torres Strait Islander people Regional communities Rural communities Remote communities Culturally or Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people LGBTIQ or other gender / sexuality diverse individuals Fly In, Fly Out Workers Youths Males Older persons Mental Illness None of the above 14. What is the name of the organisation/company you work for (paid or unpaid/volunteer)? (If you are not working, please write NA.)
15. Which Government payments / concessions do you receive? I do not have any government payments / support Age Pension Blind / Vision Impaired Person Pass (issued by states / territories) Carer Concession / Carer Allowance / Carer Payment Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card Companion Card Low Income Health Care Card Disability Support Pension Seniors Card Student / Youth Allowance / Austudy / ABSTUDY Taxi Transport Subsidy Veteran / TPI / Gold Card 16. Please provide additional details about your financial hardship. 17. Are you a tertiary / university student? Yes, full time Yes, part time No 18. What is your course / field of study? (If you are not a student, please write NA.)
19. Please describe the activities or actions you do every day for your personal health and wellbeing. (max 1000 characters). 20. How do you expect to use the learnings in your personal or professional life, or in your community (max 2000 characters)? 21. I would need financial support for: Travel costs (to and from the conference (e.g. flights, taxis or public transport) Accommodation Conference registration for conference dates 24-26 July 2018 inclusive 22. By submitting my application for a bursary for financial support to attend the National Suicide Prevention Conference 2018 in Adelaide, South Australia I declare that (select all that apply): Due to financial constraints, I would not be able to attend the conference without a bursary. I understand that bursaries do not cover personal expenses. If I receive a bursary, I will provide the funding organisation with a report on my attendance at the conference. If I receive a bursary, I will complete the post-conference survey. All information in this application is true and correct.
Thank you for applying for financial support (bursary) to attend the National Suicide Prevention Conference 2018, and for sharing your story with us. Your details and information will be used by the selection committee to decide how to allocate bursaries. To learn more about Suicide Prevention Australia and our role as the peak body for the Australian suicide prevention sector, please visit our website. We also invite you to join the national Lived Experience Network and be part of a growing and active virtual network of people all across Australia who have a lived experience of suicide. To learn more about the 2018 Conference please visit our website. You can subscribe to the conferencespecific e-newsletter so you don't miss out on conference news as it arises! Please make note of these dates: Bursary recipients make a commitment to attend all three (3) days of the conference: Tuesday 24 - Thursday 26 July 2018. Monday 23 July Pre-Conference Workshops Not included in Bursary. Attend at your own expense. Tuesday, 24 July Day 1 of Conference Attendance Required Tuesday, 24 July Day 1 of Conference Thursday 26 July Day 3 of Conference Attendance Required Attendance Required Notification of status of your application: All applicants will receive communication of the outcome of their application by Tuesday, 22 May 2018, by 7.00pm AEST. If for any reason you need to withdraw your bursary application, please email livedexp@suicidepreventionaust.org or call the SPA office on 02 9262 1130. Thank you again for your interest in the conference. The team at Suicide Prevention Australia GPO Box 219 Sydney NSW 2001 P: 02 9262 1130 E: livedexp@suicidepreventionaust.org W: www.suicidepreventionaust.org