Have you noticed an old tree painted blue on the Daylesford-Malmsbury Road opposite the Frontier Wars Memorial? Or another on the Midland Highway at Mt Franklin? Have you wondered what it is all about? These trees are the latest additions to the Blue Tree Project – a project initiated in Western Australia but now a worldwide phenomenon.
The Blue Tree Project is a grassroots mental health initiative that began in Western Australia in 2019. It was inspired by the story of Jayden Whyte, who painted a dead tree blue on his family’s farm in 2014 as a light hearted prank. Tragically, Jayden died by suicide in 2018. In his memory, his sister Kendall Whyte founded the Blue Tree Project to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. The project encourages communities to paint dead trees blue as a visual reminder to foster open conversations about mental health. Since its inception, over 1,300 blue trees have been registered worldwide, including now, our own Hepburn Shire.
Locally, the project has been coordinated by Call Your Mates Hepburn.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly 40% of young Australians aged 16 to 24 experienced a mental health disorder between 2020 and 2022, with young women particularly affected. While the prevalence of mental disorders is similar across urban and rural areas, access to mental health services is substantially more limited in rural and remote regions. Tragically, rates of self-harm and suicide increase with remoteness.
There are several local projects that align with the problem of youth mental health problems. The Live4Life program at Daylesford College, sponsored by Community Bank Daylesford District and the Daylesford Foundation, encourages young people to look out for one another and gives them the skills they need to address mental health problems in themselves and others.
Hepburn Shire Council is now offering free, accredited Youth Mental Health First Aid training for adults who interact regularly with young people. The hybrid course includes approximately four hours of online learning, followed by a full-day, in-person session led by licensed facilitator Andy Bell from Youth Gurus. The face-to-face sessions are scheduled for in Creswick on Monday, June 23 and in Trentham on Monday July 7.
The training covers recognising signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in adolescents, responding to emerging or worsening mental health issues, and understanding available treatments and support. On completion, participants become certified Mental Health First Aiders equipped to provide initial support and information to young people experiencing mental health challenges.
This course is recognized by Suicide Prevention Australia as a safe and effective suicide prevention program. Interested individuals can register via Google Forms or contact Adam Ford at aford@hepburn.vic.gov.au for more information.
Initiatives like the Youth mental Health First Aid, the Blue Tree Project and Live4Life aim to address these challenges by promoting mental health awareness and equipping community members with the skills to support young people in need.
