What is it?
Live4Life is an evidence-based community impact initiative designed to enhance youth mental health and reduce suicide rates in rural and regional areas, while the Youth Community Development Officer will lead intergenerational projects, foster youth leadership, integrate youth voices in civic and community environments, and strengthen youth partnerships – delivering measurable improvements in mental health, community engagement and leadership opportunities for young people.
Why is it needed?
Over14% of young people in the shire have a long-term mental health condition. Rates of death by suicide in the Wimmera-Grampians region are 1.3 times the Victorian average. Suicide is the leading cause of death in young people aged 15 to 24 in the Western Victoria Primary Health Network catchment. Resilient Australia data (2021) showed that 73% of young people (grade three to year 12) in the shire had “little” or “no hope” for the future.
Rural communities also face broader social challenges including higher rates of family violence, lower educational attainment and fewer employment opportunities for young people, all of which are known drivers of poor mental health outcomes.
Without targeted investment in preventative, resilience and social connection-based initiatives, and broader social and civic opportunities for young people, they will continue to experience poor mental health outcomes.
The ask
Live4Life: $450,000 over five years of model implementation ($90,000 p/a)
Youth Community Development Officer: $85,500 per year
Specifications
- Location: Shire-wide
- State seat: Lowan & Ripon
- Federal seat: Mallee
- Advocacy type: Lead
- Council plan goal: Live it up: Health, wellbeing and community
- Existing commitments: $150,000 VicHealth Grant supporting inclusive recreation opportunities for young people in the shire (state).
- What has been done so far:
- Desktop analysis and community engagement (adult and young people specific) via the Council and MPHW Plan 2025-29 planning process to determine need and identify gaps.
- Consultation and budget costings for Live4Life with the Live4Life organisation and potential partners.
- Delivery of pilot intergenerational projects in 2024-25, which informed the most effective models.
- Establishment of youth partnership framework to support collaborative initiatives on youth mental health and wellbeing (Northern Grampians Youth Collaboration).
- Local Learning and Employment Networks
- Community health services
- Neighbourhood Houses
- Headspace
- Schools and early learning
- Community groups
- Council Plan and Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2025-29
- Youth Strategy 2025-28
- Building Community Resilience Strategy 2024
- Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2023-27
- Victoria’s Youth Strategy 2022-27
- National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Strategy 2021-31