SOUTHERN Grampians Year 8 students and community members gathered on Wednesday to celebrate our young people’s achievements and our local community’s work to strengthen mental health through the delivery of Live4Life.

In 2023, 24 young people from Year 9 and 10 joined the crew, volunteering to become mental health ambassadors in their school and community. This celebration event was a culmination of the year’s learning and engagement for these crew members.

In response to the question “What is the most enjoyable part of being a crew member so far this year?” a crew response was “Seeing how adults in our community are really listening to youth on how we can improve our youth wellbeing in Hamilton,” 2023 Live4Life crew member, Maddi said.

Live4Life is protecting lives where it matters most - improving youth mental health in rural communities through mental health education and crew-led messaging and events. Live4Life is led by a network of local organisations and schools who partner to lead and sustain the Live4Life model throughout the community.

“So incredible to see the amazing work that this community has done in supporting mental health and wellbeing,” Live4Life chief executive, Bernard Galbally said.

“Full credit to WDHS for their leadership and to all the partners and schools for their work with Live4Life. It’s really by working together that we can make real changes, especially in rural communities.”

It is expected that by the end of 2023, over 400 Year 8 and Year 10 students and 25 adults from across the shire will have participated in Mental Health training. Adding this number to the previous three years of delivery and Live4Life Southern Grampians will have offered mental health training to over 1140 young people and 145 adults from across the whole region, Balmoral included.

Monivae College director of wellbeing and the event’s guest speaker, Kate Couchman, spoke about the importance of good mental health and how it’s normal to feel sad and for things to not always go right, but to embrace and recognise all emotions.

“Think about the positives in your life and connect with friends, share your concerns with one another, talk to each other”.

Ms Couchman’s tips included: Have a rest from devices, get enough sleep (8-10 hours), stay connected, be active and exercise, eat well, ask for help and talk to someone, support and recognise your friends aren’t going so well, trust an adult, don’t keep secrets about someone’s mental health, look after one another and check in with your mates.

Western District Health Service chief executive, Rohan Fitzgerald, said training this many local community members in essential Mental Health First Aid skills only helps to build the resilience of the whole region.

“We know that 75 per cent of people with mental ill health have their first episode during adolescence, which is why it is so important to work together to create better support networks for our local community,” he said.

“The Live4Life program has provided important mental health education and positive mental health initiatives for our young people.”

WDHS partnered with Youth Live4Life, Southern Grampians Shire Council, Glenelg and Southern Grampians LLEN, Youth Affairs Council Victoria, Brophy Family and Youth Services, South West TAFE, Beyond the Bell, Wellways, Bambridge College, The Hamilton and Alexandra College, Monivae College, Good Shepherd College, Hamilton and Parklands School and Balmoral K-12 Community College.