Hi all!
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room!
This year I am participating in a run called "Most Of The Coast" from Palm Beach to Bondi Beach on Saturday 18th August. The 2018 MOTC 12 hour relay run will consist of 50 Sydney University and UTS students running a variety of distances between 5-15 km each, to cover the 100km coastline. The run was founded in 2014 with the goal of raising awareness for and providing monetary support to Batyr. A charity which aims to engage, educate and empower young Australian to speak out about social and mental health issues that are not often openly discussed. Most Of The Coast is in its fifth year – being stronger and bigger than ever.
Our aim is to assist Batyr, in acting as a bridge between students and avenues of help. Despite 1 in 4 young people suffering a mental health issue by the end of adolescence, mental health issues are not openly discussed and remain the ‘elephant in the room’. Mental ill health holds a stigma that prevents open and frank exchanges and is a barrier to young people getting the help they need. They discuss the first hand benefits of reaching out, what avenues of support helped them and show students they are not alone and help is always available.
Mental ill health issues affect 1 in 4 young adolescents, with 75 percent of people with depression not seeking help. Equally pressing is the fact that the age group with the highest prevalence of mental health illness is 15-24 year olds. This is the age demographic of the students participating in Most Of The Coast. Batyr’s 'Being Herd' program trains young people to share their story, with the intention of reducing the stigma associated with depressive illness. The funds raised through Most Of The Coast will be specifically directed towards this program.
The Most Of The Coast team is working tirelessly to create an event that aims to raise $15,000 for Batyr. More importantly, we aim to demonstrate a unified passion by university students to support anyone who has suffered from, or knows of someone who has been affected by mental health.
I am part of this team because I want to raise money and make a difference. It should not sit well with any of us that mental ill health is a leading cause of death amongst Australia’s young adolescents. We need to all actively create a change for the better.
Please help us to address this extremely relevant issue and work towards removing the stigma by donating to this fantastic charity!
Thank you,
Kevin