zero2hero has debuted its suicide alert program in Kalgoorlie to coach young football players to identify friends at risk.
The reluctance of men to seek professional help for mental health issues, coupled with several suicides among Kalgoorlie’s football fraternity in recent years, are driving factors behind a new program rolled out in the Goldfields.
In partnership with the West Australian Football Commission and mining company Gold Fields, Member for Kalgoorlie Ali Kent reached out to youth mental health organisation zero2hero to provide a suicide alert program called safeTALK.
Delivered over four hours to groups of 30 participants, safeTALK made its way across the region from March 13 to 17 to engage a total of 150 football players from clubs within the Goldfields Football League.
“The programs zero2hero deliver was everything I had in mind to improve access to mental health services here in Kalgoorlie and in the other towns of the Goldfields,” Ms Kent told Business News.
People having suicidal thoughts are most likely to confide in a friend, especially when they live in a regional town with limited access to mental health resources.
While talking about these thoughts is a good first step, most friends aren’t trained professionals, readily equipped with the right strategy for this kind of situation.
The safeTALK training program was designed to prepare those over the age of 15 to identify warning signs or indications for help expressed by friends at risk of suicide.
Originally created by NSW-based suicide prevention training provider LivingWorks, safeTALK has been delivered by zero2hero since 2014 in schools, workplaces, community groups and as part of its Camp Hero leadership program.
This will be the first suicide alert program in the Goldfields region, but not the first time zero2hero has visited.
In 2022, the organisation delivered a different mental health program in primary and secondary schools to 2,400 children.
“That had a big impact, but I was still concerned that young men were missing out,” Ms Kent said.
“I saw how zero2hero was helping so many young people in Perth and thought we needed to bring those skills and experience to Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the Goldfields.
“This is important because traditionally men don’t seek advice on their own, but when their peers are there they’ll probably be more inclined to ask questions and to not feel embarrassed to seek out information.”
zero2hero chief executive Ashlee Harrison said safeTALK aimed to empower young footballers to be more alert to suicide risk.
“We have very skilled facilitators trained specifically for young people for this workshop,” Ms Harrison said.
“The reason we love this program is because we know young people are more likely to reach out to a friend for support than a professional, and giving those friends the right tools is exactly what this program targets.”
Ms Harrison said zero2hero heard many examples of friends being ill-equipped to guide a person at risk to a safe place and to access professional help.
Often these friends were unable to even identify a risk.
“We’ve heard about this sort of situation after someone has already tragically suicided,” Ms Harrison said.
“You can have the best parents, the best teachers, the best psychologists, but that first point of contact for most young people will be their friends.”
safeTALK incorporates an interactive component to ensure the session stays with learners and is retained for possible future need.
“The reason the program is so effective is because they role-play a suicide scenario and they do those multiple times, so the learning really lands,” Ms Harrison said.
“There’s a textbook, video, slides and a book the participants will work with during the session.
“But they practise the training, and the facilitator oversees this before they complete the session to confirm what they’ve learned has solidified.”
She said the role-play accommodated for learning styles that absorbed information better through action, rather than screens and worksheets.
“It also allows them to be comfortable in a training environment and then they’ll be more comfortable to have that conversation in real life,” Ms Harrison said.
“It’s going to teach them what to say, what to not say, and the four steps to take to help keep this person safe and make sure they get to the right support service to mitigate or eliminate the risk of suicide for that person.”
Men are particularly at risk of mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts.
“More than 75 per cent of suicides in Australia are men,” Ms Harrison said.
“We also know there’s a lot of pressure and expectations for sports players to be a particular kind of man, which is why this program has been requested specifically for footy players.”
WAFC Goldfields regional manager Gemma Harrison said the commission was hopeful the push for open conversation and increased access to resources would support the wellbeing and mental health of players.
“Unfortunately, we have responded to many critical events within our game, across the state, and the Goldfields has not been immune,” Ms Harrison said.
“We’re hopeful that we can offer a safe space for men to speak freely and gain a repertoire of skills to assist a mate in need.
“WA Football Commission is incredibly driven to assist in reducing the stigma, build participant’s confidence to engage in positive conversations around health and wellbeing and ultimately strengthen club environments.”
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