AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES FORM MENTAL HEALTH COALITION

April 19, 2019

Twenty-one athletes across 13 sports have been selected as inaugural Lifeline Community Custodians, a program with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to support athletes in  becoming advocates for mental health and positive community spirit.

Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes from across the country will be involved in the program, jointly designed by the AIS and Lifeline Australia to reduce the stigma around mental health and to promote the positive contributions athletes and sport can make to their communities.

The Community Custodians join a national movement of more than 10,000 Lifeline volunteers and 1,000 employees. In 2017, there were 3,128 lives lost to suicide in Australia, representing one life lost every three hours and a nine percent increase from the previous year.

“Lifeline receives one million contacts every year to our national number and suicide prevention services. We are here because no person in Australia should have to face their darkest moments alone,” Lifeline Australia CEO Colin Seery said.

“When these athletes talk in support of Lifeline, they will be helping to reduce stigma and shape a more compassionate society, one that focuses on bringing people together and reducing isolation,” he continued. “They will be helping families to ensure their loved ones are kept safe.”

AIS Director of Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement, Matti Clements, said the team of Community Custodians will spend the next 12 months raising mental health awareness in their communities and their sports.

“At the AIS we know the positive influence sport and athletes have in their communities and the inspiration they provide, so this program is about spreading that positivity far and wide across Australia,” Clements said.

“A partnership with Lifeline is fantastic because these athletes will be attending community events, telling their own personal stories of resilience but also benefiting from personal development. The AIS wants athletes to be successful in sport and life, so this is also about enabling athletes to find balance beyond their sporting careers and giving them a meaningful opportunity to help others.”

Having lost her uncle to suicide last year, Australian Opals women’s basketball captain Jenna O’Hea will lead the team of Community Custodians and then initiate a Lifeline round in the Women’s National Basketball League.

“My uncle was 46. People often tend to put on a brave face. You don’t know what they’re going through. So just in our family, from this we’re reaching out more and trying to have more open and honest conversations, which aren’t always easy.”