Sabrina’s Reach4Life (SR4L) creates public awareness around suicide prevention through community-based events. The founders draw on their lived experience to provide peer support to those bereaved by suicide, and assist adults who are struggling to get timely and appropriate support for young people.
They wanted to increase the capacity and confidence of local communities to better understand what a developing mental health problem or crisis looks like and develop the skills and confidence to offer support and apply behaviours that reduce the incidences of suicide.
Using a $20,000 In a Good Place grant SR4L developed ‘Heads Up’, a project that resulted in bespoke training across various locations in the Northern Territory.
In Darwin, a men’s only course engaged men aged between 27-73 on what the next steps can be once you discover a friend is struggling with their mental health. Topics involved a three-step action plan to apply if someone is feeling suicidal, which was fully embraced by participants. Feedback indicated that all attendees walked away with more confidence on how to sit alongside someone who was not doing okay.
Training in Litchfield was really successful, with lots of residents attending across two Sundays to learn more about recognising a developing mental health problem and subsequent action plan. Participants reported a significant shift in understanding following the training.
The training also engaged schoolteachers across the NT through a face-to-face Youth Mental Health First Aid course. Independent teachers from remote communities came from as far out as Nhulunbuy, facilitating cross-community connection and learning on how to best tackle the problem.
SR4L said, “These groups are traditionally difficult to engage. The funds really supported people to increase their knowledge and confidence around supporting someone who may not be travelling ok, as well as their own mental health.”