Quarter 1, 2024 - Impact Update
April 22, 2024
Over the last 10 weeks, our programs team reached thousands of high school students across the country;
In Victoria, we visited Williamstown, Cheltenham, Springvale, Caulfield, Greenvale and Point Cook.
In Queensland, we delivered programs in Ascot, Spring Hill, St Lucia, Windaroo, Toowong, Coomera and Mt Gravatt.
In South Australia, we delivered programs in Marryatville, Craigmore, Novar Gardens, and Modbury Heights.
In NSW, we delivered programs in Gosford, Cromer, Waverly, Woolwich, Strathfield, Taree, Sefton, Willoughby, Stanmore, Revesby and Bulli.
Our partner Aurelia Metals were also able to attend a program in Cobar NSW, fully funded through support from their Peak Donations Committee.
We trained 30 young storytellers to give a voice to their mental health experience through our Being Herd workshops, including a bespoke Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Being Herd workshop in collaboration with Cultural Choice Association. Across all the workshops we ran this term, we received some incredible feedback from participants;
This workshop provided such a beautiful and safe space to embrace my story, celebrate my resilience, and share in that pride with other people. Having the opportunity to process and share my story in a safe and healthy manner helped me to understand some of my journey better, and proved hugely cathartic. I am so glad that I had this opportunity and would recommend it to absolutely anyone who feels they would like to get curious about their story and others.”
Being Herd participant
February, 2024
We also delivered a bespoke Lived Experience training for 13 of Orygen’s Platform team. Orygen is the world's leading research and knowledge translation organisation focusing on mental ill-health in young people, and it was awesome to be able to share our insights and experience with their team as we work together to tackle youth mental health.
Presenting at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference
CEO Katie Acheson and Youth Advocacy Lead Abi Cooper presented at the 2024 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland! They shared learnings from batyr about how to include young people in decision-making in a safe and transparent way for the young people involved. It was a really successful session, with service providers, youth workers, young people and government agencies learning from batyr’s experience and committing to work collaboratively with young people they support.
Announcing our partnership with Southern Cross University, Queensland
We’re excited to share that we’ve partnered with Southern Cross University in 2024 to deliver our preventative mental health education programs and events to students and staff on campus’ across Queensland.
Southern Cross University is excited to announce a new partnership with preventative mental health charity batyr. batyr@uni will provide evidenced-based peer-to-peer programs, student leadership training, staff training and on-campus events for the Southern Cross community. The University’s goal is to enhance our students' comprehension of mental health and provide them with the tools necessary to confidently navigate difficult times during their university journey and beyond. The partnership with batyr underscores our commitment to fostering a supportive and thriving community within Southern Cross. By joining forces, we aim to cultivate an environment where students and staff feel empowered to prioritise their mental well-being, ensuring that everyone has access to the resources and support they need to flourish personally and academically.”
Brendon Nelson
Vice President (Students) and Registrar at Southern CrossUniversity.
Attending Orientation Week and Community Events
This quarter, we reached thousands of uni students as they began semester one at the University of Newcastle, Southern Cross University, Deakin University, Charles Sturt University, Griffith University, University of Technology, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology.
We were also able to attend a number of community events across the country, including the Mind Body Spirit Festival, the Victorian Careers and Employment Expo, the Canberra Tertiary Careers Fair and National Gallery of Victoria’s Teen Art Party.
Being involved in events like these means we’re starting positive conversations that help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, and allows us to equip students with tools like OurHerd to help them take charge of their mental health during stressful or challenging times.
We welcomed Katie Acheson as batyr CEO
This quarter we also welcomed batyr’s new CEO, Katie Acheson.
I have been championing batyr from the sidelines for many years and it’s an absolute honour to now be stepping into the role as CEO to lead this incredible organisation. I’m already proud of batyr’s work on the ground to date, and can’t wait to amplify this further. I’ll continue to ensure the team are supported, motivated and inspired to keep driving positive change for young people now and for generations to come."
Katie Acheson, batyr CEO
Katie’s appointment as batyr CEO was also featured on Women’s Agenda and Pro Bono Australia, as well as an op-ed piece to mark International Women’s Day in Tech Day. Find out more about Katie's appointment as batyr CEO below.
Introducing our new partners, Audi Foundation and The Balnaves Foundation
We are proud to share that we are entering into a new partnership with The Balnaves Foundation. As a leading philanthropic organisation committed to creating a Better Australia, The Balnaves Foundation is supporting batyr with a $1.6 million dollar grant over 5 years. The grant will support a major five-year longitudinal research project which aims to evaluate batyr’s suite of programs, demonstrating the effectiveness of the programs in the long-term, whilst also making a significant contribution to the evaluation of preventative interventions in Australia, which has rarely done before. Read more about it here.
We are also thrilled to be welcoming Audi Foundation as a partner. Audi Foundation has been driving positive mental health outcomes since 2017 and will be supporting batyr's delivery of over 400 educational programs over the next year.
Splash the Stigma raises over $120,000!
Splash the Stigma made the biggest splash ever, with 334 amazing individuals who participated in our sponsored swim. Together, we raised an incredible $120,475! These funds will allow us to reach 4,015 young people through our preventative mental health programs.
Part of this success was due to the incredible media support we had, thanks to our friends at Unltd. Through this support, two amazing murals were painted around Sydney by the incredible team at Apparition Media to help promote the fundraising campaign. Plus, you may have also spotted us on Channel 10 News and The Morning Show!
We've got plenty of exciting opportunities for you to get involved across the next 3 months, including our Blue Tie Long Lunches in Brisbane and Melbourne, our brand new online fundraiser Stigma-Free Streamers, as well as sharing your own story of hope on the OurHerd app and through our upcoming Being Herd workshops.
If you need mental health support, there’s always someone to lean on - you can reach out to these support services if you need.