In 2020 and 2021 headspace services have been more in demand than ever before, as COVID-19 and lockdowns continued impacting the way young people work, study and socialise. Many of the steps young people would have normally taken to look after themselves have been unavailable. headspace research has demonstrated that:
- One in two young Australians felt their mental health or their mood had been negatively impacted since the outbreak of the pandemic.
- 77% of young people reported that COVID-19 had negatively impacted their work, study or financial situation.
- Two in five young Australians felt COVID-19 had impacted their confidence to achieve future goals.
Funds raised through The Push-Up Challenge are helping headspace pilot and scale programs, increase their service delivery, provide enhanced support for family and friends of young people, and ensure that young people can access the right support, when they need it and how they want it. Some of the recent programs and initiatives these funds have helped support include:
Family & Friends Support – Expansion of their Family and Friends national reference group and scaling of services to support parents, carers and friends across the headspace network.
Online Communities - Online Communities is a space on the headspace website where young people, family and friends can share and explore helpful resources suggested by the community. Online Communities provides low-barrier, anonymous and safe support and also includes clinically supported Peer Chats.
Youth Peer Work - headspace National is now implementing a peer support training program to equip peer workers and peer work supervisors around Australia with the skills they need to do their role safely and effectively.
Parent & Carer – COVID Support - Development and implementation of community education sessions to build the capacity of parents and carers, teaching them how to notice, inquire and provide assistance for their young people during the pandemic.
