One in four Australians will be affected by mental health issues at some stage throughout there life time. Only 23 per cent of 15-24 year olds will speak up and admit that they have a mental health problem. Don’t let the other 77 per cent, who are suffering in silence, be someone you know!

Tuesday 19 March saw over 100 students from all across Sydney, from as far as the Central Coast, gather at Newington College for ,what we hope will be, an annual Newington Prefect Afternoon. In what was a first for Newington, we invited prefects from a vast array of schools to come to Newington for a chance to talk, mingle and discuss differing perspectives on leadership within their schools. To do something beneficial, the afternoon was centred on the idea of ‘How can we as leaders in our schools help stem the prevalence of mental illness in students?’.

The afternoon provided a forum for leaders to discuss their own personal experiences with mental illness and friends, whilst also providing an opportunity to listen to some guest speakers from Headspace in Camperdown who clarified the avenues available to obtain professional advice or just if you need someone to talk to.

Some great initiatives came up throughout the afternoon such as Random Acts of Kindness days, and Student-led counselling programs, but overall the most important thing was to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness and this is something the 30 Newington Prefects who attended and the other Year 12s will be focusing on as the year progresses.

If you need someone to talk to within the College community, never hesitate to come up to one of the Year 12s, or even the School Counsellor, Mr Stan Comino, who is situated next to the small hall above Centenary Hall. Mental Health problems do not discriminate, and if left untreated or bottled up, can have serious consequences.

I know myself and the Year 12 cohort are really passionate on this topic, so help us get behind it!

Kids Help Line – 1800 55 1800

Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14

Online services: eheadspace.org.au

Lachlan McKirdy (12/LE)
Deputy Senior Prefect