ReachOut and Nutri-Grain team up for youth mental health

03 February 2015

Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain is set to help leading e-mental health organisation ReachOut provide support to greater numbers of young people, especially young men.

• ReachOut to be promoted on Nutri-Grain packs throughout Australia.

• Nutri-Grain responds to a national study conducted by ReachOut for the #LiveUnstoppable campaign.

In the coming months, Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain will promote ReachOut.com on its packs, giving ReachOut visibility in front of hundreds of thousands of families across Australia and encouraging them to make mental health and wellbeing part of the everyday.

“Nutri-Grain’s support of ReachOut is a positive step towards making mental health more approachable for young people”, said Jono Nicholas, CEO of ReachOut.

“Young men in particular remain reluctant to seek help when going through a tough time.1 They can be very hard to reach, but teaming up with Nutri-Grain will take ReachOut to more young men than ever before,” he added.

The new collaboration also sees Nutri-Grain’s #LiveUnstoppable campaign respond to a national study conducted by ReachOut, which identified key barriers that prevent young Australians from achieving their goals.

The study revealed that the majority of young Australians (81 per cent) set short- or long-term goals, yet more than half of them (58 per cent) may give up before achieving them.

The findings showed tiredness (38 per cent), a lack of determination (36 per cent), study or work commitments (35 per cent) and a lack of courage (21 per cent) as some of the most common barriers to realising goals. Significantly, the study also showed that nearly half of young people feel unsure about their futures (46%), with just 45 per cent feeling optimistic.

“Young people face unique challenges that not only affect their ability to achieve their goals, but can have a deeper effect on their mental health and wellbeing,” said Nicholas.

“Navigating these challenges can be very complex. We want all young Australians to have the skills and information they need to be happy and well, and for them to know they can find practical support from ReachOut.com when they need it most,” he added.

ReachOut provides practical tools and support to help young people get through everything from everyday issues to tough times, including a range of information on setting and achieving goals. ReachOut’s advice includes:

• When setting goals, start with things you enjoy. We are happiest when we are using our strengths. Write down the five things you enjoy most in life. Are there any goals you can identify?

• Work through a plan of action. Having a tangible plan of action helps you to stay focused.

• Break up your goal. Start with easier tasks and work your way up to bigger challenges. Breaking up a task in your mind into achievable chunks helps build confidence.

• Include a time frame. Deadlines are important. They keep you on the go and help you stay motivated. For each written sub-goal, write down a deadline to prevent you from putting things off or forgetting your goal.

Related

• Read more about the #LiveUnstoppable campaign.

• Find more resources on setting goals, motivation and related issues at ReachOut.

• Read ReachOut’s other research on how business can respond to the cost of young men’s mental ill-health.

About ReachOut.com

ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people, providing practical support to help them get through everything from everyday issues to tough times.

Since 1998, ReachOut has worked alongside young people to deliver online tools that address youth mental health and reduce youth suicide. Available anytime and pretty much anywhere, ReachOut receives over 1.85 million visitors a year.

References

1. ABS 2008, 4326.0 - National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results 2007, Commonwealth Government, Canberra.