About Act-Belong-Commit
Act-Belong-Commit is a comprehensive health promotion campaign that encourages individuals to take action to protect and promote their own mental wellbeing at the individual and community level. It also encourages organisations to promote participation in mentally healthy activities.
The A-B-C guidelines for positive mental health provide a simple approach that can be adopted to help individuals become more mentally healthy:
- Act: Being active—physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.
- Belong: Having strong social connections with friends, family and the wider community.
- Commit: Making deeper commitments to personal pursuits.
What services do Act Belong Commit Offer?
Online Resources
The Act Belong Commit website provides a range of free mental health resources addressing common questions such as ‘what is mental health’, ‘how do I get help’, ‘how to keep mentally healthy’. These can be used by those experiencing mental health struggles or by loved ones looking to learn how to best support others.
The online Act Belong Commit resources also offer tailored tips for promoting mental wellbeing for Aboriginal people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, new parents, school-aged children, seniors, and young adults.
Programs
As part of Act-Belong-Commit, several programs based in Western Australia are also run to promote mental wellbeing and address mental health conditions. This includes:
- Mentally Healthy Schools: A framework to improve the mental health and wellbeing of students, staff and the wider school community.
- Aboriginal Program: Addresses the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people, focusing on family and connections to country and culture.
- Ambassadors Program: Engages positive role models to champion mental health and wellbeing to promote the Act Belong Commit campaign across the community.
- Youth Connectors: A peer-based mental health initiative encouraging young people to encourage the adoption of mentally healthy behaviours.
- Partnership Program: A partnership with local community groups, government, health organisations, schools and more to promote the Act Belong Commit message.
Who is Act-Belong-Commit for?
The online campaign is available across Australia and aims to engage adults aged 18 years or over. This includes those in low socio-economic circumstances, parents and carers of children or teenagers and sub-population groups such as regional communities and Aboriginal people.
For those in Western Australia, there is specific local information available.
What is the aim of Act Belong Commit?
The aim of the Act Belong Commit mental health campaign is to encourage all Australians to take action to protect and promote healthy mental wellbeing.
Is there a cost to use Act-Belong-Commit?
There is no cost to use any resources or services from Act Belong Commit.
How to access Act-Belong-Commit’s services
Anyone across Australia can access Act-Belong-Commit via the website from a phone, laptop or tablet.
When can Act Belong Commit be accessed?
As Act Belong Commit is an online mental health service, it is available anytime and anywhere that suits you.
Act-Belong-Commit Research and Evaluation
Act-Belong-Commit is an evidence-based campaign developed primarily from research undertaken by Curtin University into people’s perceptions of mental health and the behaviours they believed protected and promoted good mental health. Following a successful pilot phase in six regional communities in Western Australia (2005–2007), the campaign was expanded state-wide.
Evaluation shows the campaign has the capacity to sensitise people to the belief that there are things we can and should do to look after our mental wellbeing; to change attitudes towards mental health and mental illness; reduce stigma associated with mental illness; and encourage people to engage in behaviours that boost their mental health.
