Laps for Life – 2023: Impact statement

17 July 2023

Laps for Life is a month-long swimming challenge held annually in March which encourages participants to swim for their own mental health and, at the same time, raise funds for the more than 1 in 3 young people currently experiencing mental health challenges. 

More than 10,000 amazing individuals participated in this year’s challenge, together swimming an incredible 130,801 km and raising $3.8M for ReachOut’s work to support young people’s mental health.  Not only did the challenge improve the mental health and wellbeing of the participants involved, which we saw through the amazing feedback, social media posts and photos shared, but it also achieved a great return on investment of 4.2:1. 

The funds raised will enable us to provide relevant and impactful services to support youth suicide prevention.  We will help more young people find a safe space online to connect to others to feel less alone, to feel better in the moment and connect to the mental health support they need.  In the next 12 months, the funds raised will support the ongoing delivery of our one to one text based PeerChat service, the redevelopment of our Parents service and continue to invest in the technology infrastructure that underpins our service delivery.