Live4Life reaches over 21,000 young people as it expands into Hepburn, Latrobe Valley and Wellington Shires.

IMAGE CAPTION: Live4Life Southern Grampians Crew at their Induction in 2024.

AWARD-WINNING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM HAS NOW REACHED OVER 21,000 YOUNG PEOPLE AS IT EXPANDS INTO HEPBURN, LATROBE VALLEY AND WELLINGTON SHIRES IN 2024

With the release of its 2023 Impact Report, youth mental health and suicide prevention organisation Live4Life is proud to announce significant milestones. 

Live4Life is a health promotion charity, using the Live4Life model to support rural and regional communities and their young people. Live4Life communities deliver evidence-based mental health education in schools and the wider community, create local partnerships to lead conversations about mental health which reduce stigma and promote young leaders as Mental Health Ambassadors.

In 2023, thanks to Live4Life, over 6,000 young people received evidence-based mental health education — a 90% increase from 2022. Since the Live4Life program began in 2010, the total number of young people in rural and regional communities who have received evidence-based mental health education is now over 21,000.

In addition, 561 adults were trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid® in 2023, taking the total number of adults trained since Live4Life began to over 2,400. 

This means for every 10  young people participating in Live4Life, there is now at least one adult fully trained to support them in a time of need.

Importantly, nearly 60 adults became accredited Teen or Youth Mental Health First Aid® instructors in 2023. This takes the total number of local community members trained as MHFA® instructors to over 90 since Live4Life began. Development of a core instructor base provides a critical resource for rural communities and has been shown to increase longevity and sustainability of the Live4Life model. 

In addition, Live4Life is delighted to announce it is expanding into 3 new rural communities in 2024: Hepburn, Latrobe Valley and Wellington. 

Hepburn, Latrobe Valley and Wellington join 10 other communities implementing the Live4Life model, where it has proven its effectiveness in growing mental health awareness and a help-seeking culture. Other Live4Life communities include: Ballarat, Bass Coast/South Gippsland, Baw Baw, Benalla, Break O’Day (TAS), Central Goldfields, Glenelg, Moira, Southern Grampians and foundation community Macedon Ranges. This represents more than a quarter of rural and regional local government areas in Victoria! 

"It is really exciting to be expanding the Live4Life model into three new communities in 2024,” said Bernard Galbally, CEO, Youth Live4Life. “Live4Life is led by young people and involves the whole community. The Live4Life model has been proven to create more highly networked communities, which enhance resilience during hard times and help to support young people living in regional and rural areas. We know that when we work together, we can change lives.”

In March 2024, Live4Life won the Suicide Prevention Australia’s LiFE Award for Communities in Action (Victoria) and is semi-finalist for two 7News Young Achiever Awards: Spirit Super Connecting Communities Award and The Victorian Government Group Achievement in the Community Award.