Working partners: Department of Health and Aged Care, the National Mental Health Commission (NMHC) and the National Suicide Prevention Office (NSPO)
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About
The Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Youth Advisory Group provides advice on mental health and suicide prevention.
The advisory group works with the working partners to:
- design better support options for young Australians, particularly for First Nations Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse people, young women and girls, and LGBTIQA+ people.
- identify ways to support young people navigate an increasingly digitised world.
- provide guidance on the issues young people want in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Members
Isabelle (she/her)
17 years old, from New South Wales
Isabelle is a 17-year-old year 12 student completing her study at the Broughton Anglican College in Southwest Sydney. Isabelle has been concerned with suicide prevention since year 9 when she and her friends started to experience a lot of mental health issues like anxiety, negative thoughts, and extreme pressure to perform better or to look and behave a certain way. She would like to explore how we can draw down on existing resources in the school system and find a way to reduce these experiences.
Jessica (she/her)
17 years old, from Victoria
Jessica is a 17-year-old Year 12 student from Ballarat, Victoria. She is the oldest of four and has a passion for netball and cooking/baking. Mental health and suicide are issues that she is personally connected with and she wants to be part of creating a movement among young people to acknowledge the need for help without any sense of fear or shame. Jessica also wants to develop equity of access when people seek help. She wants to represent her community and generation with pride by forming relationships with new people and ensuring our voices are heard where it matters.
Saul (he/him)
16 years old, from Queensland
Saul is a year 12 student from Queensland hoping to study medicine next year. He is passionate about science and learning, and loves playing sport, performing music and taking an active role in the community. As a member of the Youth Advisory Group, Saul hopes to improve the way mental health information is communicated to young people while learning more about the government’s role in psychological care. His biggest inspiration is NBA player Demar DeRozan, as he helped destigmatize depression and anxiety in the NBA through his openness about personal struggles whilst still being an incredible mid-range shooter.
Katherine (Katya), (she/her)
21 years old, from Victoria
Katya (Katherine) is an enthusiastic medical student in her penultimate year at Monash University. She hopes to address the systemic barriers of the mental health practitioner shortage as well as promote positive mental well-being practices for youth. In the future, she aspires to work in health policy and med start-ups. To relax, she plays piano in a band, is a state volleyballer and is co-founder of the ‘Flu Squad’ providing free influenza vaccinations to Australians.
Ipshita (she/her)
24 years old, from Tasmania
Ipshita is a Molecular Bioscience student at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). She is a recipient of UTAS's Vice-Chancellor Leadership Award. Ipshita is a QPR Gatekeeper Instructor, collaborating with the Multicultural Council of Tasmania to facilitate workshops on migrant-multicultural youth suicide education. As a member of her Youth Advisory Group, she hopes to achieve fulfillment by developing skills, fostering lifelong learning and connections, and acting as a conduit for youth opinions. Furthermore, Ipshita hopes to assist the Australian Government with addressing challenges in the youth mental health sector and achieving the UN SDG Target- Reducing Suicide Mortality Rate.
Troy (he/they)
17 years old, from Western Australia
Troy is a young person who has lived in the Peel and Pilbara regions of Western Australia. They have lived experience of mental-ill health and being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. He wants to push for a broader understanding of lived experience workers and the value of using lived experience in someone's recovery journey to create a safe space for every young person. He has studied the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work and is currently studying a Diploma of Community Services.
Sankara (he/him)
16 years old, from Victoria
As a 16-year-old who has worked with several city councils as a youth representative and also with the Royal Children’s Hospital as a youth advisor on mental health research, Sankara hopes to bring a wealth of skill to the team. Sankara is an Afghan-Anglo Celtic Australian who lives with a disability from a low-SES sole-parent LGBTIQ household. He understands the connection between well-being, mental health, and a sense of belonging to their community, online and offline. He believes it important to create opportunities for young people to develop a sense of belonging by empowering cultural diversity. The experience of isolation felt by many young people exacerbated by the pandemic is an important factor driving Australia’s youth suicide.
Arsh (he/him)
16 years old, from Northern Territory
Arsh is 16 years old and is hoping to be a part of changing the perception of mental health within the education system. He believes Australia’s education system should be an example for other nations to follow regarding an approach to learning and emphasis on psychology and mental health.