The program tackling teen mental health head-on, in a place where suicide rates are a major concern

Jack Farrell, 16, knows the triggers when his mental health is deteriorating.

“When I don’t exercise, I find that my mental health worsens,” she said.

“When I’m active and I exercise, I eat well and I train, I feel great.”

The tenth grader knows all too well the devastating consequences of poor mental health, having lost multiple family members to suicide.

“It’s really important that guys open up about it,” he said.

“It’s not just about sitting down and having a really heavy, deep conversation.

Jack is one of 18 young men participating in a government-funded trauma-informed boxing program designed to equip high school students with the tools to face the challenges life throws at them.

Without the G-Training boxing gym in Alice Springs, the Making a Difference (MAD) program is part of a set of projects being implemented under the Northern Territory government’s suicide prevention strategy.

Battling the highest suicide rates of any Australian jurisdiction, the Northern Territory has a monumental task ahead of it, as its government sets out to halve the suicide rate over the next 10 years.

Coach Steve Gardiner, who is running the program for the third year in a row, says he often sees a noticeable change in students over the course of the program.

“Research shows that they are more likely to talk to their peers about problems that are going on, rather than going to a mental health worker,” he said.

“It’s about being comfortable with yourself… and asking the question, ‘Are you okay?’

“Often they come in very shy…and don’t want to participate, whereas now you can see them participate and they feel safe asking the questions they need to ask.”

Sessions combine sparring and pad and bag work, along with discussions of the determinants of mental health, such as eating right, getting enough sleep and limiting screen time.

As part of the eight-week program, students from local public schools Centralian Middle School and Centralian Senior College partner at different grade levels, helping younger students make new connections as they transition into their senior years. from high school.

Gardiner, a boxing teacher for more than two decades, said the combat sport had been instrumental in getting him through tough times.

“It releases those endorphins, every time you come here and hit the bags or hit the pads, you’re doing it with like-minded people … and working toward a common goal,” Gardiner said.

“I’ve had people from all kinds of backgrounds come here and sometimes they’re really struggling, but when they leave, they leave satisfied.

Federal government data for 2021 paints a bleak picture: 18.4 people commit suicide per 100,000 people in the Northern Territory, a rate almost double that of Victoria.

Among young people aged 15-24, suicide is the leading cause of death, and men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women.

Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, who make up a third of the Northern Territory’s population, are twice as likely to take their own lives compared to the rest of the population.

Based on three platforms: Respect, Resilience and Relationships, the boxing program has seen strong community participation, welcome talks from serving police officers, a Headspace psychologist and a local cultural adviser.

For Centralian Senior College math teacher Matt Skoss, watching students interact positively with one another has been a rewarding experience.

“One of the great messages is just being there for your teammates,” he said.

“Resilience certainly fuels suicide prevention, which is a very important part of everything, and is a huge challenge for children in this complex world.”

While Mr. Skoss doesn’t directly teach most of the students, he said his relationship with the children had also improved since his first session in October.

“I see them at school frequently and we stop and talk,” he said.

“That fable of ‘it takes a town to raise a child,’ I think is a really important focus for a small community like Alice Springs.”