Meet Matilda - Crew4Life Member
Crew4Life Members are former Live4Life Crew members who are passionate about continuing to promote Live4Life, reducing the stigma around mental health and helping to reduce suicide.
Meet Matilda.
Matilda was part of the Macedon Ranges Life4Life Crew in 2013 when she was in year 9 at Braemar College. She has just completed a Masters of International Development Practice and is currently volunteering at FareShare whilst also working in hospitality and doing a bit of interior styling on the side.
When and where did you first become a Life4Life Crew member?
I became involved with the Macedon Ranges Live4Life crew back in 2013, when I was in year 9 at Braemar Collage.
What is your favorite memory of being a Live4Life Crew member?
One of my favorite memories was during the 2014 end of year celebration event. Some members in our crew, led by the magical Mez Lanigan, played a Ukulele version of, “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World, as a way to celebrate everything the year 8 students had accomplished through the program. I remember being pretty nervous up on that stage but when we all sung and played our hearts out, it was such a great feeling. Ever since then, whenever that song starts to play I am taken back to the 2014 celebration event. I hold a lot of pride for what we achieved during those years in the Live4Life crew.
Why would you recommend someone to become a Live4Life Crew member?
Becoming a crew member gives you an opportunity to meet an amazing group of friends from different schools and different experiences across the district. As a student in year 9 and 10 having access to a space filled with passionate young people, who were full to the brim with hope, really nurtures a sense of self-confidence. Through facilitating the Live4Life program you grow alongside the year 8 students. Facilitating the program allows you to develop valuable life-long silks such as public speaking while also growing your own understanding of good mental health practices. You get to see positive, long-term change not only within your community but also within yourself.
What does being a Crew4Life member mean to you?
I originally became involved in Crew4Life based on my own sentimental attachment to my years being a Live4Life crew member. However, Crew4Life extends beyond that. Crew4Life is a diverse group of people who have this awesome shared experience of being a Live4Life crew member at some stage but who have also gone on to lead their own lives. Crew4Life has created a powerful network, which has already connected people who are interested in similar fields and ideas together. Getting involved in Crew4Life has already allowed me to get back in touch with my peers from the 2013 and 2014 crews and also meet new, like-minded people who were involved with the Live4Life crews in other years.
It is important to me that the support that is cultivated through the Live4Life program extends beyond those few years at high school and into early adulthood, because after all Live4Life has created a community and we still have a lot of guidance to give one another as we grow. There is so much that we can learn from each other and so much potential for future opportunities to come out of this new network, our Crew4Life! I can’t wait to meet more awesome young people in the years to come!
What are you doing now?
I am currently living in Melbourne having moved here from the Macedon Ranges for study a few years ago. Last year I graduated from my Masters of International Development Practice degree, which closed the chapter on my university days (for now). Now I am volunteering at FareShare while also working in hospitality and doing a bit of interior styling on the side. Mainly I am just enjoying life out of lockdown and keeping an eye out for the next big adventure.