Newsletter
Monthly(ish) Updates – May 2026
8 mins
Reading Time
Key Updates
Company Registration
Integrity Initiative is now officially registered as a company limited by guarantee
NFP and DGR status to follow soon
Board
All successful Board members have been notified and accepted their roles
Formal Board announcement to take place at Made By Many on June 12
Made By Many on June 12 at The Backlot Perth (5:00pm - 8:00pm AWST)
Community celebration marking one year, incorporation, website launch, and Board establishment
Online option and recorded playback available
Community contributions welcome, including artwork, messages, and video submissions
Tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/made-by-many-tickets-1989355418609Contribute to the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lGhp6h79Qz_IOyMFWpBW8lxbsa2C1oRt/view?usp=sharing
Website & Branding
New website launching at Made By Many
Transitioning from .com to .org in the near future
Branding being refined and strengthened across fonts, graphics, and colours
Workshops
Updated workshop catalogue now available with unified branding
Two new modules: Playing With Fire (burnout) and What We Bring (Lived Experience and values-driven work)
Volunteering
Two pathways now open: Integrity Army (higher commitment) and Volunteer Pool (flexible involvement)
EOI form available now
Roles are currently volunteer-based, with paid opportunities offered where possible
Community Art
Open invitation to submit artwork to be featured across Integrity Initiative’s work
Consent form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mNae4LFrgAmWQlaluZdTx3NHnqanitqZ/view?usp=sharing
External
Port Hedland trip
Secret squirrel work
Hello lovely tadpoles,
This ecosystem is expanding. What a pleasure it is to see all the wonderful new additions adding to the biodiversity of our frog pond.
I’m keeping the newsletter relatively short this month, not because there’s any less happening, but because much of the work lately has been the less glamorous kind: procedures, policies, systems, infrastructure, and very late nights. I’ve also been even more pressed for time than usual, so this is your monthly offering. Don’t crucify me (please).
The upside? There are lots of opportunities this month, and lots of exciting things just around the corner.
Without further ado…
We’re Officially Registered
I don’t quite have the words to explain what it means to now be a registered company limited by guarantee.
That’s right. What started from determination and pain has now (through building, learning, and occasionally falling down in public) become an officially registered company. NFP and DGR status are soon to follow.
We are so close.
This past month has been heavy. Long hours, hard work, and more policies than I ever want to see again. Much of it hasn’t produced anything immediately visible. It’s been about trusting the process, learning on the spot, and continuing even when it felt like we were running on fumes.
Thank you to every person who has supported this process, believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself, and helped forge the pathway here.
A special thank you to Consumers of Mental Health WA, who have auspiced us throughout our first year and provided an incredible source of stability while we worked hard to establish proof of concept. Without that support, we simply would not be where we are today.
Wholeheartedly: thank you.
Happy Birthday, Integrity Initiative
This month marked one year since our launch at The Backlot Perth, which was the first time Integrity Initiative became something real outside of myself.
I recently shared a reflection on what this year has cost, and what it has given back.
I wrote about losing the ability to attend school due to anorexia in adolescence, and somehow ending up here: sitting with a constitution, incorporation paperwork, and a year of impact behind us.
Integrity Initiative, in the true spirit of LIVING experience, has been messy, exhausting, isolating, and deeply meaningful all at once.
But it’s already achieved:
275 care packages
20 community events
14 workshops
3,045 emails sent as of May 18
More unpaid hours than I could possibly count
But somewhere in the middle of all of it came something unexpected: purpose, connection, and proof that there is still something meaningful to offer after all.
Read the full reflection here:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7461932704108998656/
Welcome Our Board
We’ll formally introduce our Board members at Made By Many, but for now, know that this has been an overwhelming, eye-opening, and deeply meaningful process.
The recruitment process involved rich discussions, enormous compassion, and incredibly difficult decisions.
All successful Board members have now been notified and have accepted their roles. Unsuccessful applicants have also been contacted, so if you have not received any communication, please let us know (our emailing platform is currently a little unreliable… thankfully that will also be changing soon).
Made By Many
Something big is coming.
On Friday June 12, we’re hosting Made By Many, a community celebration of Integrity Initiative’s first year, our incorporation, the launch of our new website, and the establishment of our Board.
We’re not doing a polished corporate launch.
We’re doing something that actually reflects how this year happened: collaboratively, creatively, and because of a lot of people who showed up and gave a damn.
And if you want to leave something behind, bring your artwork, write a message, or draw a frog. Everything contributed on the night will become part of our community gallery and may feature across our website, reports, and future campaigns (with credit).
If you’re in Perth or know someone who is, save Friday June 12.
5-8pm.
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/made-by-many-tickets-1989355418609
We’re also thrilled to offer an online option and recorded playback for those unable to attend in person.
Registration is through the same link and we’re in the midst of working out the platform and making sure it’s good to go.
We would also LOVE for folks to contribute to the event by submitting a video message:
Whether you’ve partnered with Integrity Initiative, attended an event, volunteered your time, or simply followed along from afar, we would love a short video from you to include in our showcase.
You do not need to be polished or scripted. Just honest.
Submission deadline: June 5
See more information via the two-page submission guidelines here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lGhp6h79Qz_IOyMFWpBW8lxbsa2C1oRt/view
Branding and Website Update
You may have noticed that Integrity Initiative’s branding is gradually becoming more refined and cohesive. From the fonts (which are actually my own handwriting) to the graphics (many of which are very non-professional sketches), we’ve been streamlining and strengthening how Integrity Initiative presents visually.
This work is happening alongside the development of our new website, which will launch very soon (again, come to Made By Many!)
Updated Workshop Catalogue
As Integrity Initiative grows, we’ve been refining and unifying our workshops so they feel more cohesive and accessible as a collection.
As part of that process, I’m excited to share the updated workshop handbook.
You may also notice two brand new modules:
Playing With Fire — an unconventional exploration of burnout (based on what was facilitated at Women Deliver).
What We Bring — an introduction to lived experience, values-driven work, and the “why” we bring into our work, relationships, and communities (initially developed for occupational therapy students).
Workshop Catalogue:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14LdFUJ7spdHmxdWWA6DspzJ5uHVNsW9j/view?usp=drive_link
Summary Sheet:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/192CSN5CLCE7aGrufFfz_vRv8F7bfYIqi/view?usp=drive_link
What We Bring
On Tuesday May 5, I gave a guest lecture at The University of Notre Dame Australia for first-year occupational therapy students using content from our new workshop What We Bring.
The module explores how our own experiences shape the lens through which we work, the distinction between lived experience and lived experience expertise, and how values influence our work and relationships.
More importantly, it encourages deep reflection on our individual “why”.
As a bonus for loyal newsletter readers, here’s a worksheet to get you thinking: What do you bring?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1riWeCnT7YfvAV2NoMQ5BUS6ZhdjgdrIY/view?usp=sharing
Goodbye Google Docs
As many of you know, health emails currently block google docs (yay). So whilst in the process of transitioning into a charity, we will be adopting ‘.org’ over ‘.au’, and will also be streamlining our operational systems.
The switch will involve major logistical and infrastructure changes behind the scenes, so we wanted to start giving everyone a heads-up now.
Bring Your Art to Life Through Integrity Initiative
One of the things that makes Integrity Initiative feel truly ours is the use of community-created artwork throughout our work.
From our logo to workshop materials, most of the art and illustrations we use are created by people within this community. Not only because AI-generated “art” is one of my arch enemies, but also because of what creating art has meant in my own life. During some of the darkest periods of my life, art was one of the only things that still felt like mine. When I was unable to leave the house, confined within four walls, it became a way to survive. Being able is something I don’t take lightly… but so far it’s been primarily my own (and I want to change that).
So I want to extend that invitation outward.
Create. Share. Contribute. Let your work become part of this ecosystem too.
If you’d like to contribute artwork to Integrity Initiative, please email rachael@integrityinitiative.com.au and we’ll send through the permission form, next steps, and answer any questions you may have.
You can also read more about how we protect and respect intellectual property here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mNae4LFrgAmWQlaluZdTx3NHnqanitqZ/view?usp=sharing
Volunteer With Integrity Initiative
Our volunteer team is always open, and we’re currently recruiting for Integrity Army members (fun fact: a group of frogs is called an army).
We currently have two pathways for contributing:
Join the Integrity Army
Become part of the core operational team.
This involves:
Semi-regular meetings (monthly ish, and weekly check ins)
Confidently knowing the ropes of Integrity Initiative
Helping coordinate projects and volunteers
Potential opportunities to lead initiatives and access occasional paid opportunities
Join the Volunteer Pool
A more flexible pathway for people wanting to contribute casually.
This might involve:
Helping at events
Sharing artwork
Supporting community outreach
Learning more about lived experience advocacy
No matter which pathway interests you, the first step is the same:
At present, these roles are volunteer-based. However, Integrity Initiative aims to remunerate people where possible and create paid opportunities as we grow.
If you’re unsure what suits you best, we’re always happy to chat.
External Updates
As always, I’ve been here, there, and everywhere.
Some highlights include:
Representing Lived Experience Australia on the WA Lived Experience Communications Network
Travelling to Port Hedland through my work with Consumers of Mental Health WA
Continuing work as a Tech Policy Design Institute Ambassador, helping plan a virtual assembly focused on technology policy, safety, and accessibility
Beginning some very exciting work with Butterfly Foundation that I’ll keep under wraps for now… but the momentum for WA is incredibly promising
I also had the privilege of travelling to Port Hedland with Consumers of Mental Health WA… and yes, I say privilege. My second time in Hedland, it was so encouraging to see connections that started being built a year ago strengthen. I have been genuinely blown away by the culture, community, passion, And tenacity even through some of the steepest injustices I have seen. It was both heartbreaking and indescribably meaningful to have difficult conversations, see community in its purest form, and hear the stories of communities that have been carrying such heavy weight for so long, in the shadows.
I look forward to my next visit to Port Hedland and WA’s other regional towns…
Resources
No formal resources this month… unless you happen to enjoy reading newly written governance policies for fun, in which case, are you okay? (Genuinely. Reach out.)
Instead, here are two recent pieces of writing:
The Uncomfortable Tension: The Truth About Peer Work
How do we balance structure, humanity, and mutuality in peer spaces that still require structure to operate?
The Uncomfortable Tension: The Truth About Peer Work
·
21 May
And The Award For Most Conflicted About Awards Goes To…
My thoughts on awards — why they hold power, and why we chase them even when we dislike the premise itself.
And The Award For Most Conflicted About Awards Goes To…
25 days ago · Integrity Initiative
Slay Takeaways
In 2011, the Victorian Government’s Department of Sustainability and Environment published a formal recovery plan for the Baw Baw Frog, Philoria frosti.
A government policy. About frogs.
This is the level of governance I aspire to.
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/philoria-frosti-recovery-plan.pdf
Stay funky froglets,
Rachael and the Integrity Army
Join the Ingetrity Army
Be apart of our growing team
