Warning: This story mentions suicide
Beaches Volunteer of the Year Mel Kypri advocates for better mental health services
Warriewood local and founder of MoWaNa Safe Space, Mel Kypri is the Northern Beaches Volunteer of the Year. Having been nominated for the Senior Volunteer category, Mel was not expecting to also be recognised as the overall winner. “That was an absolute shock,” Mel says. “I don’t think I’ve ever won anything before, so I was gobsmacked. I couldn’t speak.”
Mel is also one of three Westfield Warringah Mall Local Heroes finalists. The overall winner will receive a $20,000 grant to go toward their organisation.
MoWaNa supports community members in a non-clinical way, aiming to reduce distress. This includes people experiencing loneliness, homelessness, domestic violence, emotional or suicidal distress.
The space is a peer-led, drop-in setting running four nights a week, with lived experience volunteers who are there to listen and provide support or guidance.
Mel says that should she win the Westfield grant, it would ‘mean lots’ for her organisation and be put towards efforts to expand to seven nights a week, further volunteer training, and securing a more permanent community space.
“The people that come in can be anywhere from lonely people to people that are almost at crisis point,” says Mel. She explains that some people need somewhere like their service every night of the week, which is where they to aim to get to.
“Everywhere needs to have somewhere like MoWaNa for anybody in the community that needs it.”
The idea for MoWaNa came about following Mel’s own mental health struggles and attempted suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There was nothing on offer that could help people like me in my position,” she says.
“I had a bit going on in my head and I just got to a point where I didn’t want to be here anymore.”
After seeking help, Mel realised existing options do not work for everyone.
She found spending time in a setting that included group therapy, where she realised the value in speaking with others about feelings and experiences, helped her.
“I learnt a lot about my feelings,” Mel says. “I thought I was sad, but in actual fact, I was feeling a lot of shame and that’s what I discovered through being in there.”
After speaking with others about what they felt they needed throughout their own experiences, Mel realised a common theme was ‘just to know whether there was somewhere I could go and talk to someone at any time,’ as opposed to environments like hospitals which experience long wait times and are ‘not really set up for chit-chatting.’
“So I made the decision that I wanted to create a safe space for people,” Mel says.
“Everyone has a story. We just need to be aware that people do have stuff going on in their head and if we can talk about it with them, it can make a difference.”
“Suicide is preventable. It’s preventable if we can get to people, and people know that there is help out there.”
MoWaNa Safe Space is open four nights a week from Friday to Monday, 5pm to 9pm, in Berry Hall at the Tram Shed in Narrabeen.
If you need help or know someone who is struggling, support is available.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au
Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au
