Calendar of Events

Click here to view the calendar of events for ConnectGroups

ConnectGroups June's Workshops:

A Closer Look

“Group Dynamics, Shared Leadership and Great Leadership Skills”.

7th June 2012. 9:30 - 12:30.

Click here to download the invitation.

Social Media in your Self Help and Support Group

Register for our Social Media Workshop on the 20th June!!

Please Click here for more details.

ConnectGroups selected as Charity of Choice for Fundraising Event

The Medical Forum WA ‘Doc of the Swan’ charity fun sailing race was held at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club on Sunday, the 25th March 2012. The opportunity allowed for over 20 children and their parents to experience a fun day on the water in 3 spectator boats.

The children & parents who enjoyed this fabulous fun day were members of WA Special Families, Childlimbs and Defence Special Needs Support Groups.

The kids were also treated to face painting and able to enjoy a spot of cricket, when they came onshore at the Yacht Club grounds.

A delicious dinner was generously provided to all the children and their parents. The money raised from the auction, the silent auction and raffles will be brokered to ConnectGroups to be distributed to these three Groups as required, to assist them to better promote & run their groups.

Our thanks go to the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, its members & members of the Medical Forum Magazine, the hardworking Doc of the Swan Committee and skippers – Basil, Mark & Peter for the wonderful day and also for all the greatly needed funds raised from the event.

Last but not least, a BIG THANK YOU to the wonderful kids who made the day an absolute joy for all who were involved.

Welcome to ConnectGroups

“One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other's stories.” Rebecca Falls

Support groups are groups of people who get together and share their experiences of a common concern or life issue. The power of a support group comes from the understanding that people within a group have for each other, because as individuals they have dealt with or are still dealing with a mutual problem. The strength of the group lies in their shared stories and their ability to provide empathetic support rather than sympathetic assistance.

In the words of one Community Health Nurse, “Problems seem so much less overwhelming when shared with others who have had the same experience.”

ConnectGroups – Support Groups Association WA Inc is the peak body for support groups across the state. We are needed to link groups to information and community networks, assist with support group development and management, help with community resources and services, and provide individual and group skills training. We also act as a referral service (both online and over the phone) for people looking for support groups to address a specific issue. We tailor all our training and assistance to the individual needs of groups and individuals, and everything we offer is free of charge to our members (including membership itself!).

In 2009 we are focusing on Aboriginal, CaLD, Youth, Women and Mental Health support groups to both strengthen those already up and running and increase the number of support groups available to these communities. We are also trying to ‘expand’ the idea of what a support group looks like – that it does not have to be the traditional model where people sit around in a circle talking. People with common needs can come together for any number of reasons such as singing or painting or life skills, and still share their stories and gain strength and healing from others. We are also investigating ways of using technology, through on-line forums and on-line training, to offer our clients restricted by disability or location, a way of accessing our services and the support they need from others to mend.