June 17th, 2022Macedon Ranges Shire crowned a ‘Champion Community’

The rates of mental health problems and suicide are higher in regional areas and worryingly, they continue to increase, prompting the Macedon Ranges Shire community to take action.

Mental Health First Aid® has recognised Macedon Ranges Shire as a ‘Champion Community’ for its commitment to improving the mental health of young people and the adults who support them.

• Their ‘Champion Community’ status is an acknowledgment of their sustained effort to successfully embed Mental Health First Aid (MHFATM) training, via the Live4Life model, into local education providers, secondary schools, and the wider Macedon Ranges Shire community.
• The Mental Health First Aid Champion Communities Program supports and recognises communities who invest in developing mental health first aid skills within their local community setting in a planned, integrated, and sustainable way.
• This strategy responds to youth mental health issues at a critical time. In Australia, around 20% of young people aged 11 to 17 have experienced either high or very high levels of psychological distress (AIHW, 2020)
• Sadly, suicide also remains a leading cause of death for young people under 25, and the statistical risk of attempted or completed suicide is often over-represented in Australia’s rural and regional communities.