A dozen new Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructors to support Great South Coast’s young people.

(L-R) Tahlia Homes, Jennifer Rowan, Bel Kelleway, Annie Rowland (Youth Live4Life), Claire Blackstock, Nicole McCarthy, Leanne Mitchell, Lee-Anne Nelson, Kathryn Robertson, Mia Kelly, Tracy Crispe, Lily Bourke, Julia Mahony.

Youth Live4Life Media Release

Victoria’s Great South Coast community welcomed a team of newly trained Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructors to the region this week.

Youth Live4Life, local community members, and Local Advisory Committees, in partnership with Western Victoria Primary Health Network and the Great South Coast Suicide Prevention Place-Based Trial, would like to commend the dedication of 12 local community members, who completed their training as Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructors in Warrnambool this week.

“I see the true value of getting in early and teaching our young people how to look after themselves and to recognise the difference between a ‘bad day’ and what may be an emerging mental health problem. As a mental health instructor,  I’m now able to teach young people the skills they need to look after their own mental health needs and how to support their mates and peers.” said Leanne Mitchell from Brauer College, Warrnmabool.

The Teen Mental Health First Aid course teaches secondary school students how to provide important mental health first aid to their friends and was developed in response to research indicating that young people prefer sharing problems with their peers.

The newly accredited instructors will head into schools later this year to deliver evidence-based, mental health training to students from Years 8 and 10/11 across the Great South Coast Region including Warrnambool, Moyne, Corangamite, Glenelg and Southern Grampians Shires.

“We had a fantastic response to our call out for new instructors back in April. To see them trained up and ready to support the young people of our region and deliver real impact is testament to this region’s commitment to its young people.” Cathryn Walder, Community Engagement Coordinator Great South Coast Region.

Local secondary schools can register their interest in Teen Mental Health First Aid at https://www.live4life.org.au/gsc-schools

This initiative has been developed through a partnership between the Victorian Department of Health, Western Victoria Primary Health Network, Youth Live4Life Ltd. and the Great South Coast Suicide Prevention Place Based Trial. Special thanks go to Deakin University, Warrnambool for providing the training venue.

For comment, contact: Bernard Galbally on 0413 167 843