Totally respectful of all perspectives. I felt all people and voices were safe and welcome in this space. You cannot get more authentic. Amazing and inspiring. So refreshing to hear from young people

- Workshop participant

Oh. My. Goodness.

Monumental is an understatement for what just happened. Something that I doubted and questioned time and again, but which came together not through luck or fortune but through more hard work and invisible (seemingly insurmountable) blockades than words can describe.

When I founded Integrity Initiative 14 months ago, I immediately started dreaming big. Within that was a goal to embed regional voices from the beginning. Many perceived this as lofty and told me that regional engagement couldn’t be considered until foundations were well-established.

But one thing that Integrity Initiative is not and never has been is conventional.

…so I did it anyway, supported by some incredible workers in Albany and brought to life by a group of passionate intersectional advocates.

My goodness. Hard is an understatement. Testing, shattering, devastating, and exhausting to the nth degree. Simultaneously, this trip has been exhilarating, fascinating, impactful, marvellous and all the rest.

From the 24th of February to the 4th of March 2026, I led a team of Integrity Initiative volunteers (Maeson Harvey, Kieran Silvie, Joshua Porteus, Lily Gresele and Jasmin Gardner) down to Albany for a week of events, community and networking packed with deeply, wholehearted passion.

We successfully delivered 165 care packages, reached an (approximate) 783 community members, held two community events, hosted three pop-up stalls, delivered 5 original workshops… all totalling 26 contact hours (made possible by several hundred more behind-the-scenes).

Amongst it all was a whole lot of listening to understand the place-based challenges facing the Great Southern, with particular regard to LGBTQIA+ communities and young people. What we learned was clear - acceptance is low and Lived Experience is lacking. There is a need, there is a demand, we have a solution, and we do it well.

“Albany Pride is grateful for the professionalism, integrity and compassion demonstrated by Rachael Burns and her team throughout their engagement with our Festival and the wider Great Southern region. We strongly support the continuation and expansion of this important work”.

- Millie Reid, Albany Pride

The details of the trip are now free for you to deep dive in a (subjectively) beautiful final project report, with an outline of all our endeavours, the wonderful feedback we collected, the creative pieces that were made, and a gallery of what we brought to life.

You can explore:

• The delivery of 165 care packages to the Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU), Neami Step Up Step Down service and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) through the Caring With Integrity program.

• 5 custom-developed workshops, including ‘Talk About Talking’ at Great Southern Grammar, ‘Dignified Decision-Making’ at WA Country Health Service APU, ‘Community Creation’ (renamed ‘Bridging Barriers’) at CAMHS Community Mental Health, ‘Word Travels’ at Albany Business Centre, and ‘Compassionate Creation’ at Neami Step Up Step Down.

• 3 pop-up stalls, including at Albany Pride Fair Day, South Regional TAFE, and the Boatshed Markets.

• 2 community events, including a screening of Unfiltered and an inter generational drop-in craft-in-the-park picnic.

Read the final project report here

But here, I want to share more about the human side of things. Not so much what was achieved in a metric sense, but personally.

For me, what was more significant than any of the outputs was the impact it had on the community and its ability unite people from such different contexts - ages, identities, views on wellbeing, professional disciplines. The fact that we brought together young people and older adults, with such a range of views and experiences of the world, but who shared something deeper: values.

Who saw the importance of each one of Integrity Initiative’s grounding values: justice, acceptance, diversity, empowerment, and dignity.

Justice

Fighting for what’s right, even when it’s not easy, accessible or convenient.

“[I learned…] to acknowledge the bias already present in the healthcare system and among clinical staff living able-bodied lives. Name it, then view people with compassion”.

- Workshop participant

Acceptance

Walking alongside, seeing and feeling. Collaboratively and with compassion.

“[I learned…] that Lived Experience is the cumulative wisdom gathered across one’s existence; struggle, joy and everything in between”

- Workshop participant

Diversity

Beyond a checkbox, as representation, inclusion, and amplification of those routinely denied equity.

“Thank you for having visibly queer people”

“It means so much to have people openly state their pronouns in a school environment”

- School workshop participants

Empowerment

Not as a gift, but as a given. As the tools that facilitate access and understanding. It recognises that so-called ‘lack of capacity’ often reflects society’s failure to build capacity.

“[I learned…] that even in incredibly difficult situations, people have a right to understand treatment and make decisions”

“[I learned…] that instead of thinking someone doesn’t have capacity, I can work with them in a supportive way to build that capacity and to make their own choices”.

- Workshop participants

Dignity

As a right for all, inalienable and endlessly forgiving. As the most basic element of partnership, collaboration, mutuality, resistance to oppression, and of being human.

“This is the first time I’ve felt like a human in weeks… I can’t tell you how good it is going to feel to be able to scrub the hospital off me”.

- Care package recipient

You can see more highlights, reflections, lessons, photos and feedback on our website and through the Integrity Initiative in Albany, and through our NEWLY released project final report (don’t worry, it’s not your average project report!).

And with that, it is a privilege to close this chapter (…by which I do not mean turning off the lights in regional engagement or forgetting all the insights we gained, but simply taking stock).

Thank you first and foremost to each of the team members who came along - Jasmin Gardner, Kieran Silvie, Maeson Harvey, Lily Gresele and Joshua Porteus. Each of you taught me so much. It was an honour to share space with you, build a connection and welcome you as a part of a trip that showed me not just my own capabilities, but also those of Integrity Initiative as a movement.

Thank you to the grant funders who made this possible - Alike WA, WA Primary Health Alliance, and the City of Albany.

Thank you to Integrity Initiative’s auspicious body, Consumers of Mental Health WA, and to the organisational partners who made this all possible.

It was chaos beyond belief, but it was also a huge milestone that proved what is capable when passion meets a refusal to give up in the face of barriers.

It was truly a pleasure to see the real impact that our work had across such wide audiences, especially within communities that we don’t get the opportunity to engage with here in Boorloo. It was refreshing, reflective and deeply impactful.

Kinjarling, you were beautiful. Thank you for holding us.

Until next time.

Rachael and the Integrity Initiative team