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