GMHBA Health Insurance (GMHBA) and the Geelong Football Club (also called Geelong Cats) are collaborating to tackle the mental health challenges facing Australia's youth.
The partnership will grant five Geelong-based schools access to The Resilience Project, an initiative that seeks to empower students with vital skills for developing mental resilience and positivity amidst growing concerns over the mental wellbeing of young people.
The alliance between GMHBA and the Geelong Cats is not new; both organisations have a rich history of community engagement, particularly within the educational sector, promoting health, wellbeing, and community values.
The project will see nearly 2,000 students across Newcomb Primary School, Whittington Primary School, Lara Primary School, Geelong East Primary School, and Western Heights Secondary College benefit from a two-year curriculum centred on gratitude, empathy, mindfulness (GEM), and emotional literacy.
This educational journey is designed to enhance students' emotional resilience, a critical factor in their overall mental health.
GMHBA CEO David Greig highlighted the transformative impact the program has already demonstrated, with noticeable advancements in participants' confidence, emotional articulation, and self-regard.
“Investing in a program that directly impacts the mental health and wellbeing of school children is something GMHBA is proud to stand behind,” he said. “One in four adolescents will experience mental health problems this year, and nearly two thirds of them will not seek help, so supporting local efforts in this space responds to widespread community need.”
Geelong Football Club CEO Steve Hocking shared his optimism about the positive influence the partnership will have on the community's youth.
“We're thrilled to see the next iteration of our Cats Community schools-based program take shape with The Resilience Project, with continued support from GMHBA in the school health program space,” he said. “Geelong Cats players across both our men's and women's programs will be involved in delivering the program, helping to share important messages about mental health and wellbeing providing positive and nurturing environments for the young people in our region to thrive.”
The Resilience Project CEO Ben Waterman shed light on the national scope of the project's School Wellbeing Program, which is being rolled out in over a thousand schools across the country.
“A preventative approach is the key to tackling Australia's youth mental health crisis. The evidence-based, positive wellbeing strategies in our program are proven to build young people's capacity to deal with adversity,” he said. “We are so excited more students in the Geelong area will now have access to our program, and this has been made possible through our work with GMHBA and Geelong Football Club.”
Supporting this cause, GMHBA will cover a portion of the program fees for the involved schools, while the Geelong Football Club plans to amplify the program's impact through player engagements and support at various events.
