ReachOut Australia has teamed up with young Australian actors to make audio stories that can help young people deal with social and mental health issues, particularly across the holiday season.
The new audio content, made possible by nib foundation, is available at ReachOut.com/listen and transforms high-demand ReachOut.com topics into audio content that young people can listen to whenever they like.
The seven audio stories combine personal stories with practical tips to help young people manage challenging situations and feelings, with topics including social anxiety, abusive relationships and post-traumatic stress disorder. They’re in addition to more than 900 other fact sheets, personal stories and videos on ReachOut.com.
Dr Kerrie Buhagiar, Director of Service Delivery at ReachOut Australia, said reading articles isn’t for everyone and the new audio stories now make mental health help accessible for young people with lower levels of literacy, or who simply prefer to listen on the go. With articles on similar topics viewed more than 260,000 times in the last 12 months, the new audio stories will provide an engaging source of help for a huge number of young people.
“It’s incredibly powerful to hear other young people’s stories about their mental health struggles and how they managed them. It helps young people to understand that they are not alone.
“Social anxiety can be an issue around family gatherings over the holiday period, and being cooped up with family can be a recipe for an argument. It can also be hard to see your mates while you’re away from school or uni,” Dr Buhagiar added.
“We hope that these stories will give young Australians a better understanding of tough times, and help them with practical ways to manage them and find further support.”
nib foundation Executive Officer, Amy Tribe, said they were excited to support ReachOut’s work to adapt some of their most accessed content into audio format.
“The new audio stories provide young people with easier access to information that can help improve their mental health and wellbeing by overcoming many of the barriers to seeking help,” Ms Tribe said.
A number of young Australian actors gave their time to the project, including Jess Tovey, Tessa de Josselin, Jess Harris, Alex Williams, Leanna Walsman and Isabella Giovinazzo.
Home and Away’s Jackson Gallagher provided the voice for a young man considering suicide.
“Suicide is a really important issue; especially among young men. These stories are very truthful and honest depictions of mental health issues and they’re a great resource for helping young people deal with tough times.”
These seven new audio stories to help young people through the holiday period are available at ReachOut.com/listen.
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Media enquiries
For interviews and further information please contact:
Doug Millen, 0425 865 851, doug@reachout.com
About ReachOut Australia
ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people, providing practical support to help them get through everything from everyday issues to tough times.
Since 1998, ReachOut has worked alongside young people to deliver online tools that address youth mental health and reduce youth suicide. Available anytime and pretty much anywhere, ReachOut.com was visited by 3.91 million people in 2014–15, including 1.31 million Australians.
