Life4Life is a registered charity that aims to improve mental health and wellbeing in youth by bringing regional communities together.
Life4Life works by creating local partnerships to lead to community-wide conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, delivering evidence-based mental health education in schools and to adults in the wider community, and promoting young leaders as mental health ambassadors.
Currently, the charity operates within 14 communities, including the Benalla and Moira shires, and last year expanded its reach to the shires of Hepburn, Latrobe Valley and Wellington.
Results from the recently released 2024 Impact Report show that there has been a 44 per cent increase since 2023 in young people accessing evidence-based mental health education through Life4Life, with the model being delivered to over 8900 individuals.
Since Life4Life began in 2010, over 3000 adults have been trained in youth mental health first aid.
For every 10 young people participating in Life4Life, there is at least one fully trained adult to support them in a time of need.
In 2024, the number of adults trained as teen or youth mental health instructors reached 147, expanding the resources of rural and regional communities.
“Youth mental health is a major national issue, and it is particularly acute in rural and regional areas,” Life4Life chief executive Bernard Galbally said.
“We are very proud of the impact Life4Life communities are having, which is highlighted so clearly in these figures.
“Evidence shows that proven, community-based prevention measures are vital if we are to make a positive difference in youth mental health and reduce suicide.”
As a result of the charity’s success, Life4Life has been included in the Victorian Government’s Suicide Prevention and Response Strategy 2024-34, and in its implementation plan.
In Victoria, over a quarter of rural local government areas have implemented the Life4Life model.
If there is significant interest within a community, Life4Life invites community members to submit an expression of interest application to implement the model.
More information can be found at live4life.org.au/what-is-live4life/join-live4life
16°C