23 Jun 2016
A group of 15 boys attended The Young Men's Health Forum at Chatswood on Friday 10th June. The forum created a place for boys from school all around Sydney to engage in conversation surrounding difficult topics concerning young men. Inspirational speakers included Peter Overton, Peter Fitzsimmons, Sophie Ryan and Kathy Kelly.
Kathy Kelly is the mother of Thomas Kelly. Thomas was a victim of alcohol-fuelled violence in 2012. He lost his life at the age of 18 after being king hit in an unprovoked attack. Kathy gave an extremely powerful presentation, one that affected everyone in the room resulting in the realization of the severity of the consequence and the impact on Thomas' family, friends and community.
The forum was aimed specifically at Year 10 boys as recent statistics show 1 in 4 men have a mental health issue but only 13% seek help. Another shocking statistic is that suicide is the biggest killer of men aged between 15-24 years. The main message on the day was that it is OK to discuss mental health issues. Being able to show your vulnerabilities is showing strength not weakness. We need to support young people to speak out and change the stigma behind mental health.