Live4Life Hepburn introduced the members of the 2025 Crew with a memorable launch event at Daylesford College on Friday May 9. Attended by representatives from Hepburn Shire Council, Central Highlands Rural Health, community Neighbourhood Houses and distinguished guests from the Community Bank Daylesford District, the Daylesford Foundation, Daylesford RSL, the event was planned and emceed by the Year 9 and 10 members of the Live4Life Crew.
Twenty Crew members welcomed staff, Partnership Group members and over 80 Year 8 students. They outlined key mental health messages, introduced their 2025 Theme “Kindness is key to being free” and their chosen mascot Dave the Daylesford Wombat who, despite being a judge does not judge! Instead, Dave offers a listening ear and kindness, inviting those to share what troubles them and offer support.
The award-winning, groundbreaking, peer-led, evidence-based, community impact model, Live4Lfe, spans both suicide prevention and mental health/wellbeing education. Live4Life is the only program of its kind designed specifically for rural and regional areas.
“I am so proud of the students who put their hands up to be Mental Health Ambassadors as part of our Live4Life Crew.” said Steven MacPhail, Principal of Daylesford College. “Their willingness to step forward, show leadership, and support the wellbeing of their peers speaks volumes about the kind of young people they are becoming. They all spoke so well at the Live4Life launch on Friday and are a real credit to the school.”
Mr McPhail also praised last year’s Crew who led the way and acted as role models to this year’s new Crew. “I’m very impressed by all these amazing students!” he said.
Over 100 Year 8 and Year 9/10 students from Daylesford College will take part in the Live4Life program this year. The theme for 2025 is “Kindness is Key to being Free” and was devised by the members of the 2025 Crew to express the importance of kindness as an essential part of starting a conversation about mental health. The 2025 Crew feel that it is by being kind to one another and not judging one another that better outcomes for young people who struggle with mental health will be achieved.
The annual prevalence of mental ill health in young people aged 16–24 years has increased by more than 50% in the last 15 years. Seventy five percent of people with mental ill health have their first episode during adolescence. Suicide is the leading cause of death in young Australians — and the suicide rate is more than 50% higher in rural and regional communities.
Live4Life brings together rural and regional communities. It creates local partnerships to provide oversight and lead community-wide conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, delivers evidence-based mental health education in schools and the wider community, and promotes young leaders as Mental Health Ambassadors. Live4Life is an award-winning prevention model centred on young people themselves. It protects young lives before a crisis occurs.
Young people are at the centre of the Live4Life program. In 2024, across all Live4Life communities, over 8,960 young people received evidence-based mental health education — improving their mental health literacy and ability to offer and seek help, while reducing stigma through the annual program of events and activities.
The total number of young people living in rural and regional communities who have received evidence-based mental health education since the Live4Life program began in 2010 is now 29,991. In 2024, 297 young people joined the Live4Life Crew and were trained and mentored to support their peers as Mental Health Ambassadors. In total, over 1,470 young people have joined Live4Life Crew.
Live4Life Hepburn is generously supported by Community Bank Daylesford District and the Daylesford Foundation.
