Become a Live4Life community
Empower your local area with a long-term, sustainable community youth mental health model.
What are the steps to implementation?
Live4Life is not a quick fix. It is a long-term prevention approach and works in conjunction with other suicide prevention strategies, as outlined in the Black Dog Institute’s LifeSpan model. Experience has shown it takes up to five years to fully embed the Live4Life model in a community. This allows time to build a strong foundation and relationships, as well as to learn from the early years. All stages are undertaken in
consultation with Youth Live4Life. We need to be invited into a community. We work with you to set up a presentation to potential partners including schools.
If there is sufficient interest across schools and community organisations then we would welcome you to complete an Expression of Interest application. If you would like more information on becoming a Live4Life community, please send an enquiry to bridie.johnstone@live4life.org.au
Stage one: Activation
Year one:
Expression of interest process
Activation workshop with interested partners including schools
Identify a Lead Agency and formalise an agreement with Youth Live4Life
Engage a local coordinator
Establish a local School and Community Partnership Group
Identify community members to undertake the Teen and Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor courses
Liaise with schools to schedule training for the following year
Deliver Youth MHFA to school staff in all schools
Deliver Teen MHFA to year 8 students in all schools (if time allows)
Provide resources to establish a Crew of young people the following year
Undertake a formative evaluation workshop
This will take six months or more to complete.
Stage two: Implementation
Years two, three and four:
Roll out all components of the Live4Life model including:
Induct the Crew and undertake events and health promotion activities
Mobilise evaluation tools/processes
Roll out Teen and Youth Mental Health First Aid across all schools and community settings
Participate in Communities of Practice
This is an intensive period, in which Youth Live4Life works closely with the Partnership Group to support transition to a self-sufficient model.
Stage three: Transition
Year four sees a community transition to membership:
Ongoing implementation of all components of the model
Utilising Live4Life self-assessment tool to measure whether Live4Life is embedded and sustainable for the community
Review with Youth Live4Life and development of an action plan to reach ‘embedded and sustainable’
Guidance and support to reach membership
Stage four: Membership
Year five, local community self-manages. Youth Live4Life continues to provide:
Ongoing implementation of all components of the model
Help desk support
Support for regular networking opportunities including Communities of Practice
Branding, marketing and communications support
Oversight of evaluation activities
For further information about the Live4Life expression of interest application please contact
Bridie Johnstone
Live4Life Program Support
bridie.johnstone@live4life.org.au
Learn more
“It’s making a huge difference, and we still have so much room to grow.”
— Glenelg Shire Council