KATHERINE’S Rebecca Mclellan spends much of her spare time raising money for the mental health charity Livin.
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Rebecca’s passion for the cause is personal – she knows first hand the devastation of suicide after the death of her brother Thomas.
Over the past couple of years Ms Mclellan and the Katherine High School have formed a strong relationship with the charity.
In response, Livin co-founder Sam Webb made the long journey to Katherine from Sydney to talk about mental health and to promote the message “it ain’t weak to speak.”
Ms Mclellan said it was great to have such a high profile charity make the trip to Katherine.
“It’s really good that they can come and present to the Territory because we all know that often we’re resource poor,” she said.
Ms Mclellan said the main benefit of having Livin come to the NT was their ability to connect with the youth.
“I just think it’s great that there is a resource out there that can connect with the younger generation,” she said.
“They promote (mental health) stigma reduction on social media with high profile sports people and media identities which is what that demographic are after.”
Mr Webb gave presentations to students at Katherine High School on Monday before making a presentation at Knotts crossing Monday night and St Joseph’s Catholic College on Tuesday.
He said the aim of the presentations were to wipe out the stigma of mental health and encourage young people to “speak up” if something is wrong.
“The charity’s aim is to increase mental health literacy and understanding – just to give people knowledge and some of the warning signs to look out for,” he said.
“Empowering young people to own how they feel and give them the confidence to speak up and know that it’s okay not to be okay.”
According to Beyond Blue, suicide accounts for the deaths of more Australians aged between 16 and 24 than car accidents and one in four young Australians currently has a mental health condition.
The Livin charity was created by Mr Webb and Casey Lyons in honour of their friend Dwayne Lally who tragically took his own life in 2013.
Determined to turn their horrifying experience into a positive Mr Webb and Mr Lyons started the Livin charity.
The pair have been raising funds through donations and selling clothes, to help prevent youth suicide in Australia and wipe out the weak stigma associated with mental illness.
Katherine’s Rebecca Mclellan has spent several hours raising money for the charity after her brother Thomas committed suicide.
Ms Mclellan said it was great to have a high profile charity make the trip to Katherine.
“It’s really good that they can come and present to the Territory because all that often we’re resource poor,” she said.
Ms Mclellan said the main benefit of having Livin come to the NT was their ability to connect with the youth.
“I just think it’s great that there is a resource out there that’s can connect with the younger generation,” she said.
“They promote (mental health) stigma reduction on social media with high profile sports people and media identities which is what that demographic are after.”
If you or someone you know is suffering from a mental illness please contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
