‘Catching up with the Crew’
Research Paper
Thanks to funding from The Jack Brockhoff Foundation, in 2023/24 the University of Melbourne Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing at the School of Population and Global Health undertook research examining the impact of the Live4Life mental health leadership and advocacy program on rural and regional young people.
An exploratory qualitative study, ‘Catching up with the Crew’ drew on in-depth interviews with 16 young people, exploring how their involvement in the Live4Life Crew in Years 9/10 shaped their experiences of mental health, relationships, and transitions into study and work after secondary school.
“The Live4Life Crew program is a transformational experience…”
‘Catching up with the Crew’: Impacts of adolescent participation in a mental health education and advocacy program (the Live4Life Crew) on outcomes in young adulthood in Victoria, Australia was published in SSM - Mental Health Journal, Volume 7, June 2025.
The research explored how experiences of community connection, leadership and mental health shaped the developmental transition from secondary school to further education and employment. In interviews with Crew alumni commencing in late 2023, wonderful stories emerged of how Crew involvement impacted the lives of those involved (as well as those around them) and found that they developed valuable advocacy and employment pathway skills, generating long-lasting benefits in the young volunteers’ post-school lives.
Key Findings
Crew participation enhanced interpersonal skills such as leadership, communication, public speaking, and empathy, which alumni continued to use in their study, work, and friendships following secondary school
Participants reported maintenance of key Mental Health First Aid skills, including knowledge of mental health problems and a confidence to help others experiencing a mental health crisis
Their own help-seeking behaviours improved during and after Crew participation
Crew membership often reinforced participants' commitment to mental health advocacy and education beyond school
Young people shared their experience of participating in Crew
“I can look for the signs that potentially lead to poor mental health, and also be a really good support for that and lead them into the right spots to get that support level.”
“I definitely learnt so many more skills of how to identify different mental health issues and identify if someone does need help.”
“It was a bit of a new way of going about things I think, talking about things and being so open about it…I didn’t realise how much I was picking up at the time probably, and how much it has helped down the line later in life.”
“I was very quiet, kept to myself, didn't really put my hand up in class, never asked to speak. But with the Crew…I had to do lots of public speaking, lots of getting out of my comfort zone and doing things I wouldn't normally do.”
“Normalisation of just talking about mental health…it’s really provided us with the language…”
Building the Live4Life evidence base
The study demonstrated the significant impact involvement in the Live4Life Crew has on members as they transition from school — a critical period in a young person’s life. It further reinforced findings from the two-year independent evaluation of Live4Life in Benalla Rural City and Glenelg Shire by Ludowyk Evaluation (2020) which showed involvement in the Crew “is profound and in some cases transformative”.
The ‘Catching up with the Crew’ study adds to a substantial base of evidence on Live4Life’s impact (including the Ludowyk Report, ongoing work by the University of Melbourne and University of Tasmania, and a program of internal monitoring and evaluation) which consistently demonstrates that:
Live4Life communities are more networked and resilient, with a deeper understanding of mental health issues
There is an increase in young people seeking support for their mental health or on behalf of a friend
Adults report greater confidence in supporting a young person
Urgent need for preventative mental health
The prevalence of mental ill-health in young people has increased by more than 50% in the last 15 years. Over 60% of young people in rural and regional communities cannot access the mental health services and support they need.
The benefits of Live4Life’s whole-of-community approach are diverse and long-lasting for young people in rural and regional parts of Australia, layering into their experience multiple protective factors, such as volunteering, social connectivity, language skills, leadership opportunities, employment pathways, mental health education and — perhaps most significantly — the acknowledgement, validation and elevation of young people’s agency in supporting their own wellbeing and that of their peers.
2024 Presentation
In October 2024, we were delighted to welcome guests and online attendees to the presentation of the University of Melbourne research, generously hosted by Live4Life pro bono partners Arnold Bloch Leibler, where Research Fellow Dr Lakshmi Neelakantan presented outcomes from 16 interviews with former Crew members aged 18+ from Macedon Ranges, Glenelg and Benalla communities.
