G’day,

My eldest daughter started high school on Monday. She told me I wasn’t allowed to cry, and I didn’t, though any parent knows how hard that is. It seems like five minutes ago she was a tiny baby, and now she’s big and sassy and funny and smart.

Parents also know the worry. When they’re small, you’re bombarded with advice and products about keeping them safe. I couldn’t sleep that first night, worrying that at any moment she might need me. That first drive home is one of the scariest most of us ever do.

I worry about the world she lives in and the world she will inherit from us. But I have faith in her ability, and that of her peers, to meet whatever challenge comes their way.

As long as we back them in.

Our Youth Unmuted group at Australians for Mental Health makes me proud every day. They are a group of young Australians who are passionate about making mental health in this country better.

Young people are not, as some might have it, lazy and helpless. They are determined and ready to lead.

This month, we are launching our first intensive training program for Youth Unmuted members. In the first half of this year, 12 young people will be chosen to participate in the Youth Unmuted Community Leadership Training.

They will learn the skills needed to step up as effective advocates, including:

Policy Development
Listening
Engaging with politicians
Public speaking and using your voice
Photography, video-making and graphic design
How the political system works
Strategy development
Media engagement

Too often, youth mental health discussions leave actual young people out. We want to change that. Our young people have had enough of not being listened to or consultations that go nowhere. They are ready to take responsibility for creating the future they want.

And the rest of us at Australians for Mental Health are here to back them in.

Best,

Chris

Chris Gambian
Executive Director

P.S. If this work resonates with you, I hope you’ll consider joining Australians for Mental Health. This movement exists because ordinary people decide to show up for each other, through conversations, training, and collective action that pushes for real change. Membership is free for the first 30 days, then $4 per month. If you are keen to join, but money is a barrier at any point, reply to this email to let us know - we will always find a way to make it work.