Student Leadership

LIVIN

On Thursday October 11th, the school had the pleasure of inviting a guest speaker from the non-profit mental health organisation “LIVIN” to our school for a presentation regarding mental health.

Before I go any further about the actual event, I would like to mention the reasons behind the event. Being a school captain, the role requires me to plan an individual passion project. This involves trying to raise awareness on a philanthropy based topic I am enthusiastic about, with participation from the whole school. My passion project this year aimed to create a positive attitude and mindset around mental health, highlighting the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding it.

I decided to pick LIVIN after attending a Casey leadership night event, hosted by the Mayor Councillor of the City of Casey, Geoff Abett back in Term 1. The leadership team and I were extremely inspired and moved as we heard from Sam Webb, who is the Co-founder of the non-profit mental health organization “LIVIN”. “LIVIN” was founded after Sam Webb lost his best mate through suicide. Hence, their aim is to reduce youth suicide rates which unfortunately is one of the leading causes of deaths in Australia. They seek to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness using the motto “it ain’t weak to speak.” Sam is passionate about helping people reach their full potential through positive wellbeing, change and a positive approach to life.

As such, the two sessions on Thursday with Luke Foster, the guest speaker from LIVIN, were highly successful. For session 1, the presentation was given to the year 10 students. It was amazing to see every student showing respect and engagement.

His presentation consisted of knowing the difference between mental health and mental illness, signs and symptoms and where to get help and how to provide help. In addition, he shared his own personal experiences from his time in the Army as a psychologist. The overall written feedback from our teachers averaged 9.2 out of 10 which is excellent!

Luke spoke very well in both sessions, modifying his approach and changing his methods depending on whether it was a big group (session 1) or the much smaller second session. He engaged with students and staff one-on-one and in small groups afterwards, which the students really appreciated. His presentation really inspired a lot of the students to view life in a positive way and make the most of it.

After the presentation, a Year 10 student was asked what she thought of it by her health teacher. She told him that it was excellent, and the teacher reminded her that the information is almost the same as what they learn in Health class. To which she replied, ‘Yes, but that comes from teachers. We don’t listen to you as much. It’s better coming from someone else.’, highlighting the importance of relationships with external providers, and the different perspective that Luke was able to provide from different sectors – both the military and corporate world.

I am extremely proud and thankful to have had the chance to make my passion project a reality at our school. I hope the talk and education about the importance of mental health continues to increase whether it would be at school, community, with our families and friends. Furthermore, it is an honour to donate almost $900 to LIVIN. This money was raised by a free dress day that took place last term!

Lastly, I would like to give a big thank you to Ms. Dennis, Cindy and Jamie-Lee from Wellbeing team, and the Year 10 team who organised this event to take place during classes. This event would not have been possible without their help and contribution towards my passion project.

In addition, I would also like to once again say a huge thank you to Luke Foster and LIVIN organisation who took the time to come to our school and present an amazing message about the importance of mental health.   

Anusha Sharma

College Captain