SARAH Campbell Lambert has seen her home village of Cobargo and surrounds devastated by fires, floods and the pandemic and is fully aware of the impact it has had on residents there.

The Cobargo Wellness Group, a not-for-profit organisation, evaluated the needs of about 1200 community members to find out what was needed that wasn’t offered through official channels.

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It became clear who was able to ‘ride the storm’, volunteer in the community, and recover quickly and that rebuilding is much more challenging without an emotionally, mentally and physically strong community.

Out of this grew the ‘Ginger the Frog Wellness Program’ which supports emotional wellness in children aged three to seven years.

Ms Campbell Lambert said evidence from research now reveals that young children are suffering emotionally and mentally from environmental crises including natural disasters, the pandemic and a school system that doesn’t align with this stage of development.

She said research also shows that addictions stem from trauma in early childhood, which is why she is passionate about helping create a healthy foundation of emotional wellness in young children.

Ms Campbell Lambert is presenting the musical, ‘My Superpower’, featuring actors from Melbourne, Byron Bay and Bega, on Saturday, October 15, at the Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium.

The show follows a nervous young frog called Ginger and her fellow dancing, singing friends as she navigates her way through the ups and downs of life.

It features four actors, puppets, animated backdrops and a variety of original songs from genres including surf-rock, hip-hop, dub reggae, folk and 70’s disco.

The show explores emotions such as anger, disappointment, frustration and fear as well as empathy, confidence, positivity, courage and grit.

It also touches on the aches and pains of old age, the struggles of parenting, the fear of ‘the other’ and the trust that recovery on every level is possible.

The Sunday before the show, October 9, there will be a free Family Fun Day at Coramba with the actors performing the show and then introducing activities for families, followed by free a barbeque lunch, hosted by the RFS.

Another free show and lunch will be held at the Casuarina School in Coffs Harbour on Sunday, October 16.

“The show and the program are as much about reaching parents as children,” Ms Campbell Lambert said.

She said the prerequisite for doing the program is that parents have to engage in the stories and activities with their children.

“It’s easy to do because it’s relatable.

“Young ones ‘get it’ and, our experience in Bega is that children are already using the language from the show to deal with emotions,” Ms Campbell Lambert said.

Tickets for ‘My Superpower’ and information about the fun days can be found at https://gingerthefrog.com/.

By Andrew VIVIAN