Casterton students fly the flag for youth leadership and support

CASTERTON students are flying the flag for good mental health, joining the 2022 Glenelg Shire Council Live4Life team.

Live4Life Glenelg has inducted 41 new and ongoing crew members, made up of Year 9 and year 10 students from across Casterton, Heywood and Portland, to continue on the initiative’s award-winning success in the south-west region.

The induction day, held across a full-day session at the Portland Golf Club, provided crew members with a hands-on insight into the year ahead, with team building exercises, planning activities and an overview of Live4Life.

Live4Life Glenelg Crew Support Worker, Maddy McKinna said the new crew members played a critical role in the Live4Life model.

“Young people from Years 9 and 10 are given the opportunity to become leaders in their local area and to advocate for mental health support and education,” she said.

It is evident that young people want to hear from their peers about mental health, which is why the crew is so vital to Live4Life’s success in the community.

“Throughout the year crew members will gain valuable knowledge and skills to help them feel more confident in their role as Youth Mental Health Ambassadors.

“They will champion positive mental health promotion, organise events, as well as building their own public speaking and communication skills.

“We are so proud of our local Crew here in the Glenelg Shire and are excited about supporting them to become local leaders and powerful ambassadors for mental health.

“We look forward to introducing our new crews to the community, with launch events planned for the near future.”

The Live4Life model focuses on a whole of community approach to mental health education and suicide prevention in order to build resilient young people and communities.

Since its implementation in the Glenelg Shire in 2017, more than 180 young people have participated as crew members and more than 1600 young people and 250 adults have received mental health training.

For more information, visit www.live4life.org.au.