Are you a young Muslim in need of support?
Helping Hands
The Helping Hands program is a peer-led mental health support program for Muslim youth in Melbourne.
About Helping Hands
The Helping Hands program is a community-based, peer-led youth initiative facilitated by Six Degrees in Melbourne. Founded on three main objectives, we seek to:
- Normalise mental health conversations.
- Support Muslim youth to seek help where necessary.
- Improve access to mental health services for Muslim youth.
Helping Hands has been supporting Melbourne's Muslim youth aged 18 to 24 since 2022. Read on to find out about:
Helping Hands is not a crisis service. If you need help now, call 000 or see Seek Help.
Helping Hands and How It Works
Helping Hands connects Help Seekers with Help Givers. Help Seekers are young Muslims in Melbourne who are facing hardship and need support.
Help Givers are members of the Melbourne Muslim community who are trained and willing to give support and lend a helping hand.
Online booking: Book a Helping Hands session at a time and location that suits you. Book a session.
In-person events: Our Help Givers are also available at some Six Degrees events. Follow us on social media to stay updated. See our events.
The Helping Hands Program is delivered in multiple locations.
To connect Help Seekers with Help Givers, Helping Hands works with mosques, Islamic societies and youth centres across Melbourne, including:
Session locations
The map couldn't load on this device. Use the list above to find your closest location.
Pins marked "general area" show the suburb. You'll be sent the exact meeting place when your session is confirmed.
What to expect
- Arrival and Welcome: When you arrive, your Help Giver will greet you and introduce themselves.
- Session Overview: The Help Giver will explain how the session will be structured and what to expect.
- 30-Minute Discussion: You will have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to talk with the Help Giver about your concerns.
- Guided Conversation: The Help Giver will facilitate the discussion, helping you explore your thoughts and feelings.
- Referrals and Next Steps: If needed, the Help Giver will provide referrals for further mental health support.
Help Givers
Help Givers are dedicated and passionate young Muslim volunteers from the Melbourne community, offering mental health support to Muslim youth. They play a crucial role in fulfilling Six Degrees' mission to make mental health support accessible within the Muslim community.
All Help Givers receive comprehensive training and have access to a network of mental health professionals, ensuring they are well-equipped to provide compassionate and informed support.
What it's like to be a Help Giver
- Receive comprehensive training and access to a network of mental health professionals.
- Commit to the Helping Hands program for a minimum of 12 months.
- Volunteer flexible support hours each quarter, depending on community needs.
- Make a meaningful impact while gaining valuable experience in the mental health field.
Helping Hands Origins
Watch or listen to how Helping Hands started
The Helping Hands program is based on the Friendship Bench project developed by psychiatrist Dr Dixon Chibanda in Zimbabwe.
The Friendship Bench approach aims to improve mental wellbeing and overall quality of life through sessions offered by trained community members to people in the community who are experiencing mental health hardship, such as anxiety or depression.
To learn more about the Friendship Bench, check out the following resources: