Live4Life Glenelg and Portland Aluminium announce further three-year partnership empowering youth mental health and suicide prevention in the Glenelg Shire
Live4Life Glenelg, Portland Aluminium, and Portland District Health are pleased to announce a new three-year partnership commencing in 2026. This partnership marks a significant step forward in supporting mental health education for young people and adults, youth-led events, and increased resilience across the community.
“We are incredibly grateful to have Portland Aluminium as a committed partner in Live4Life Glenelg,” said Cr Karen Stephens, Mayor of Glenelg Shire. “Their support will allow us to reach more young people and adults across our community with life-saving resources and create more opportunities for education and early intervention.”
“Portland District Health is proud to be an active member of Live4Life Glenelg and are keen to support the next iteration of Portland Aluminium’s partnership. Our Health Promotion team will play a key role in the support of the collaboration. The Youth Live4Life model is the only mental health education and youth suicide prevention model designed specifically for rural communities. Portland District Health respectfully acknowledge the instrumental efforts the founding organisations contributed to establishing the Youth Live4Life program in Glenelg: The Secondary Welfare Group, Glenelg Shire Council, Glenelg and Southern Grampians Local Learning and Education Network, Blue Light, Victorian Education Department (School Nursing Program, Student Support Services) Bayview College, Heywood & District Secondary College, Casterton Secondary College, Portland Reengagement Centre, Portland Secondary College, Beyond the Bell Glenelg, Brophy Family and Youth Services, and South West Institute of Tafe, (Portland Campus)"
“Portland Aluminium is proud to stand in support with all those that play a role in the delivery of Live4Life to improve youth mental health and wellbeing,” said Anna Impey, Senior Community Relations, and Communications Advisor at Portland Aluminium. “Mental health is critical to the welfare of our community, and we welcome the opportunity to be a part of a community owned evidence-based solution which prioritises young people’s voices in their own wellbeing.”
Through this partnership, Portland Aluminium will provide employee volunteer support, targeted funding assistance, and strategic resources to expand the reach of Live4Life in the Glenelg shire. This partnership aims to break down damaging stigma associated with mental ill-health, increase mental health literacy, and ensure that more young people have access to the tools and support they need to thrive.
“We successfully collaborated with Live4Life Glenelg from 2022-2024 and after seeing first-hand the real outcomes from this model we have committed to a further three years”, said Anna.
Through the original partnership some remarkable results were achieved including:
- The establishment of the GiveNow Alliance, which saw Live4Life Glenelg and local charity United Way Glenelg come together to provide local residents with a charitable, tax-free pathway to make donations to the Live4Life Glenelg program.
- A partnership with Winda Mara to build local capacity to deliver Youth Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid®
- The expansion of community reach through parent and carer activities, such as speaking engagements with Australian Olympic gold medallist Brooke Hanson OLY OAM and psychologist Dr Jodie Fleming.
- And a partnership with South West District Football Netball League to deliver Youth ‘Be A Light In Someone’s Darkness’
- Production of the Live4Live Crew members’ mental health promotion film Mental Health First Aid® training at nominal cost to clubs.
Live4Life Glenelg was launched in 2017. Since then,
3,184
young people have received evidence-based mental health education
521
adults in the community trained in Youth MHFA®
361
Year 9 and 10 students have volunteered as Mental Health Ambassadors in the Live4Life Crew
This means for every 6 young people who have participated in Live4Life Glenelg, there is at least one adult in the community fully trained to support them in a time of need.
Live4Life is implemented in Glenelg in partnership with the four secondary schools, South West Institute of TAFE, Portland District Health and 9 other community agencies. The Lead Agency is Glenelg Shire Council.
Left to Right: Nathan Adams (Bayview College Staff), Jenny Roberts (Acting Director Primary Care Services, Portland District Health), Cathryn Walder (Community Engagement Manager, Youth Live4Life), Aurora Elliott, Charlotte Kenny, Grace Dainty (Bayview College students), Melissa Smith and Meghan Bennett (Youth Officer, Glenelg Shire Council), Milla Pitman, Jess Butcher, Zahli Alexander (Bayview College students), Anna Impey (Senior Community Relations and Communications Advisor, Portland Aluminium), Maddi Cram and Lynda Smith (Health Promotion Practitioners, Portland District Health).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Since Live4Life began nationally in 2010, the model has been implemented in 14 rural and regional communities across Victoria and Tasmania, where over
38,887
young people have received evidence-based mental health education
3,582
adults have been trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid®
1800
student Mental Health Ambassadors in the Live4Life Crew
Resources
Live4Life website
Visit the Live4Life website.
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Live4Life Model
Find out more about the Live4Life model.
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Media Backgrounder
Read the Live4Life media backgrounder.
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Annual Report
Read more about Youth Live4Life in the latest Annual Report.
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Live4Life Media Releases carefully adhere to Mindframe media guidelines for reporting, portraying or communicating about suicide or mental ill-health. We respectfully ask that all publications use the images Live4Life has provided to accompany our media release.
