For over a decade, batyr has been committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people and saving lives - a mission that is both vital and needed.
Thanks to the support of our generous donors, this year we’ve been able to reach more young people than ever before and make a real difference in their lives.
Without the support of our community of donors, batyr simply would not be able to do the work that we do. It’s their generosity that allows us to continue to train new storytellers, develop innovative batyr@school and batyr@uni programs, empower our volunteer uni executives on campus as mental health advocates, and reach more young people across Australia everyday.
Every day, we give young people the skills they need to start real, authentic conversations with each other about navigating tough times and how they can best support each other and themselves. Mental health literacy skills are not something that are taught in every curriculum, which is why preventative initiatives like ours are so important.
There’s no doubt that storytelling is powerful - sharing our lives and experiences with each other is what makes us human. We’ve all experienced a time where we’ve been moved to tears by what someone’s gone through. At batyr, we aim to do this, but with a positive spin - we teach people to share their story in a way that not only resonates with others, but inspires and provides hope.
Meet Bridget, one of our storytellers. She found batyr and the Being Herd workshops when she was initially exploring ways to tell her story of my mental health journey. A friend of hers was involved in batyr and she saw how rewarding the experience was for her - something Bridget was so eager to experience.
“Initially I imagined delving into the depths of my mental health experiences and maybe touching on some really overwhelming moments of my journey. I quickly discovered the Being Herd workshop was a safe, purposeful space to discover your story at your own pace.
These transformative experiences go beyond the individual; “batyr’s preventative programs and initiatives are important to me as they are opportunities I never had during school, which was the most prevalent time of my mental health journey. Being able to provide that opportunity to youth today has such an impact and raises awareness about such important topics around mental health.”
In the past year alone, we have been able to run 13 workshops and trained over 40 storytellers. batyr storytellers have gone on to share their stories with tens of thousands of young people across Australia in schools, universities and workplaces, helping to create a more understanding and supportive environment around mental health.
None of this would be possible without the generosity of our donors. It is their support that allows us to continue to empower young people with the skills and confidence to get through tough times, and work towards our vision of creating a world where all young people lead mentally healthy and fulfilling lives.
So to all of our donors and supporters, we want to say a huge thank you. Thank you for your generosity, your support, and your commitment to youth mental health!
