Students lead the way for youth mental health
Published on 01 December 2025
Young people from across the Glenelg Shire have come together to recognise youth mental health and to celebrate another great year for the Live4Life initiative.
Year 8 students and Glenelg Live4Life Crew from the four secondary colleges in the Glenelg Shire – Heywood District Secondary College, Casterton Secondary College, Portland Secondary College and Bayview College – came together earlier this month for the Live4Life Celebration event held at the Friendly Society Soccer Oval in Portland.
The student-led event, coordinated by the Glenelg Live4Life Crew, was part of the broader Live4Life program which supports youth mental health through peer education, early intervention and community collaboration.
Glenelg Shire Youth Development Officer Melissa Smith said students created a series of fun and engaging activities to reinforce the key messages from the Teen Mental Health First Aid training.
“Students were eager to bring their ideas to life, turning the celebration event into an awareness day. Some of the highlights included interactive games, wellbeing showbags and a popular dunk tank where students had the opportunity to dunk a Councillor!,” she reflected.
“The 2025 Live4Life Crew’s theme — “If someone is caught in a storm, be their umbrella” — set the tone for this year’s activities, encouraging students to show kindness, empathy, and support for one another.
Showbags handed out at the event included resources to promote positive mental health, along with “Grow Your Own Sunflowers” kits kindly donated by Bunnings.
“As part of the celebration, graduating Year 10 Crew members were also recognised for their contribution to the program and the impact they’ve made over the past two years.
“The Live4Life Crew have shown incredible leadership and creativity in promoting positive mental health. They’ve built confidence, connection, and their efforts are making a real difference.”
Youth Live4Life is the only mental health education and youth suicide prevention model explicitly designed for rural and regional communities. It was first launched in 2017 in the Glenelg Shire and currently has twelve non-for-profit community partners and one major sponsor, Portland Aluminium.