RACV extends support for Live4Life
After providing invaluable support of the Live4Life Ballarat program since 2023, in December last year RACV announced it is extending its funding partnership with Live4Life.
RACV General Manager Corporate Affairs Liz Carey said: “Increased funding from RACV over the next three years will enable Live4Life to extend their reach to at least three additional regional communities. The goal is to broaden the reach of this proven, community-owned prevention model. RACV is proud of its long and ongoing contribution to regional Victoria. We are passionate about improving lives and giving back to local communities.”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing shows that the prevalence of mental ill-health in young people aged 16-25 years has increased by 50 per cent since 2007, highlighting that prevention strategies are a priority to help save young lives. In regional areas, the suicide rate is now more than 50 per cent higher than major cities.
The Live4Life Ballarat program supported by RACV, has delivered evidence-based, age-tailored mental health education to over 6,000 young people and near to 500 adults in the Ballarat community.
Live4Life CEO Jeremy Wiggins thanked RACV for its support of the program. “We are deeply grateful for the commitment RACV is making to the lives of young people in rural and regional Victoria. Its support of Live4Life Ballarat has been instrumental in the growth of the program in a major regional city and this new announcement will further our reach to more young people and more communities in need.”
Live4Life's peer-led approach empowers young people to become advocates within their own communities, creating a ripple effect of support and understanding across schools and the broader region.
“Live4Life’s partnership model brings together schools, community organisations, health services, and local government to create a coordinated approach to youth mental health that extends well beyond the classroom,” Mr Wiggins said.