HALT Youth Week
Press Release: Young Tradies and Apprentices at the Centre of New Mental Health Campaign
1 June 2020
Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT), a national suicide prevention charity, have released a new campaign this week aimed at improving the mental health literacy of young tradies and apprentices.
With catchy slogans like: “Word Up” and “WTF” it is hoped that HALT’s key messages will reach the young tradies that need it the most. The campaign includes information cards outlining how to recognise signs of mental health difficulties, when and how to reach out if support is needed, and some strategies for self-care.
“In the current climate we are doing all that we can to reach out to the most vulnerable groups out in the communities in which we work. We know that there are unique challenges for younger tradies and apprentices, and we want to ensure that they get the help that they need to be able to thrive,” says HALT founder Jeremy Forbes.
More than 3000 people in Australia lose their lives to suicide each year, with 75% of those being men. HALT, founded in 2013, place a strong emphasis on suicide prevention initiatives within traditionally male-centred trades. One of the major risk factors for suicidality amongst men is a lack of communication or help-seeking behaviours.
HALT emphasises that connecting communities and normalising conversations around mental health and suicide are the key aspects that make their outreach programme effective. Their “Save Your Bacon” events held for tradies in TAFEs, high schools, trades businesses and other organisations, encourage blokes to have “tough conversations” with their mates around mental health difficulties.
HALT is encouraging all high schools, TAFEs and other learning institutions to share the resources with their trade students and apprentices. The resources can be downloaded from the HALT website: halt.org.au/resources
Media Contacts:
Jeremy Forbes – Founder/CEO
Phone: 0409 756 274
Email: jeremy@halt.org.au
