State Trustees supporting young people through Live4Life

With the support of a three-year $750,000 grant from the State Trustees Australia Foundation, Live4Life has been able to provide surety for the extensive preparatory work which allows us to expand into new communities across Victoria.

There are multiple rural and regional communities across the state who have reached out to Live4Life and are interested in implementing the model. Assessing, guiding and mentoring those communities, who have identified a need for youth mental health support and seen in Live4Life an approach that suits their needs, requires time and substantial resources.

The State Trustees Australia Foundation has supported the mental health of Victorians through its Emotional Wellbeing grant program. Reflecting on the partnership, Melissa Reynolds, CEO of State Trustees, said:

“The State Trustees Australia Foundation is proud to support Live4Life in its mission to improve youth mental health. Thanks to the generosity of Victorians who leave a legacy through their wills, we can support initiatives that create lasting and positive change.”

State Trustees Australia Foundation has been supporting Live4Life since 2022, helping in that time to underpin Live4Life's expansion into new communities, as well as driving capacity-building for local communities with regards to evaluation, fundraising, local partnerships and regular Communities of Practice for local staff. Foundation funding has also been instrumental in developing a three year marketing and communications plan, particularly the 4Life campaign, which has been designed to build awareness, understanding, and local fundraising support of Live4Life in communities. The 4Life campaign has been implemented throughout 2024 and 2025, increasing our social media footprint, utilising local radio and adding prominent roadside billboards across the state — resulting in 10 million digital impressions, 20,500 website clicks, 3,432 radio spots and 85 weeks of billboard presence so far.

Live4Life CEO Bernard Galbally said the partnership with State Trustees has been critical in extending the reach of Live4Life.

"The prevalence of mental ill-health of young Australians has increased by 50% over the last fifteen years. Live4Life is strongly aligned with State Trustees’ program objectives — helping destigmatise mental ill‐health, supporting advocacy and education campaigns, focusing on evidence-based prevention rather than crisis-response, and promoting cross‐sector collaboration. These are all vital if we are going to protect the lives of young people in rural and regional areas."

The funding has also supported consultation with key stakeholders, advocacy, policy development and funding submissions to Government.