Our Story
We believe every young person should have the opportunity to lead a mentally healthy and fulfilling life.
We know poor mental health can be a barrier to this and the statistics tell a story of a youth mental health crisis in Australia.
Changing the narrative, one story at a time
We started with one story. The story of our founder Sebastian Robertson, who decided to share his lived experience of mental ill-health to normalise conversations and provide hope to young people going through tough times.
He founded our organisation, naming it after batyr, The Talking Elephant. Born in 1970 in Kazakhstan, batyr the elephant was able to ‘speak’ about 20 human-sounding phrases. He became a symbol of courage, strength and resilience, inspiring people to speak up even in the toughest of times - exactly what we’re all about!
We now have a passionate and growing team of 1000 + young storytellers who bravely share their personal experience with thousands of people across the country every year.
Young people and their stories are at the heart of everything we do.
Our
MISSION
We are leaders in PREVENTION and STIGMA REDUCTION. We exist to empower young people to talk openly about mental health and take charge of their wellbeing.
Our
VISION
A WORLD where ALL YOUNG PEOPLE lead MENTALLY HEALTHY and FULFILLING LIVES.
The reality of mental health for young people in Australia
(ABS 2023)
(Hall et al.,2019)
(ABS 2024)
Our evidence-based programs and initiatives aim to:
Help to prevent mental ill-health before it develops
Promote mentally healthy behaviour and the skills to thrive
Give hope to young people experiencing tough times
Support young people to get the help they need - from friends through to professionals
Since we began in 2011
Young people reached through our programs
Programs delivered
