Melbourne Uni completes Crew evaluation
Image Description: The Research team from Melbourne University Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, School of Population and Global Health with staff and Board members of Live4Life.
“The Live4Life Crew program is a transformational experience…”
Catching up with the Crew – Final Report
We were delighted to welcome guests and online attendees to the presentation of the University of Melbourne Report, ‘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, generously hosted by our pro bono partners Arnold Bloch Leibler on Thursday 17 October.
Presented by Research Fellow Dr Lakshmi Neelakantan, the report details outcomes from 16 interviews with former Crew members aged 18+ from Macedon Ranges, Glenelg and Benalla Communities. It contains some important findings, including:
Crew enhanced interpersonal skills such as leadership, communication, public speaking, and empathy, and continued to use these in study, work, and friendships post secondary school
Participants reported maintaining 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 a commitment to mental health advocacy and education beyond school The report demonstrates the significant impact involvement in the Crew has on members as they transition from school — a critical period in a young person’s life.
It further reinforces the findings from the two-year Ludowyk Evaluation (2020) which showed involvement in the Crew “is profound and in some cases transformative”.
Watch the presentation below.
A special thank you to The Jack Brockhoff Foundation who funded the evaluation, Arnold Bloch Leibler, past Live4Life Crew members, and Melbourne University Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, School of Population and Global Health.
