Health & wellbeing
LIVINWell program aims to normalise the conversation THE GOLD INDUSTRY GROUP AND LIVIN ARE EMBARKING ON THEIR THIRD NATIONAL TOUR TO EMPOWER STUDENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA TO SPEAK UP ON MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.
The LIVIN Tour reached more than 1400 people in 2019.
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pproximately one-in-two Australians experience mental illness over the course of their lifetime. Research also suggests that less than 50 per cent of people experiencing mental illness will access professional support. Those in rural and lower socioeconomic areas are particularly at risk, which requires the community to work together to support each other and normalise the conversation. Research released in January this year by headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation found that young people in critical age groups (12 to 14 and 18 to 21) are reporting significant increases in feelings of isolation. The findings – revealing a substantial increase since the data was last recorded in 2018 – comes as young people in these age groups enter a transitional period in their lives with returns to school, study or work. Many young people aged 12 to 14
will be starting secondary school for the first time, while those aged 18 to 21 may be starting the shift into further study or work. Clinical practice executive director at headspace Vikki Ryall says young people in these age groups may need additional support as the impacts of COVID-19 are still being felt. “The move to secondary school from primary or from school into further study or the workforce can feel quite daunting for young people in any instance and COVID has now added extra complexity,” Ryall says. “It’s worrying to see young people in these age groups recording increased feelings of isolation.” From August this year, the Gold Industry Group and LIVIN will embark on their third national tour to empower students across Australia to speak up and provide much-needed practical tools on mental health through more than 80 relatable workshops.
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Announced at this year’s Gold Industry Group and Deloitte annual breakfast at the Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum, the Gold Industry Group LIVINWell School Tour will visit schools in the regions Gold Industry Group members operate in across Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. LIVIN is an Australian charity founded on the Gold Coast in honour of Dwayne Lally, who took his life after living with a mental illness in silence. In June 2017, the Gold Industry Group held member and community workshops in Perth and Kalgoorlie with LIVIN founders Sam Webb and Casey Lyons, to break down the stigma attached to mental illness and give people the basic tools to seek help and help others. The Gold Industry Group also collaborated with City of KalgoorlieBoulder to produce a short film, where the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Youth Council interviewed LIVIN founders who shared
