Mental Health Matters
Winners 2025

Congratulations to all our winners for the 2025 Mental Health Matters Awards

Mental Health Matters Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award

Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service – Culture as Therapy Program (org + Program)

The Culture as Therapy (CaT) Program, rooted in Bundjalung Country, is a community-led healing initiative enhancing Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing through cultural reconnection. Recognising culture as inherently therapeutic, it blends traditional and contemporary practices within a trauma-informed, strengths-based framework.

Activities include weaving circles, yarning sessions, Bundjalung language revitalisation, on-Country experiences, and men’s mental health days — all fostering identity, community, and collective healing. Culturally safe spaces empower participants to share stories, reduce stigma, and address mental health with a strong focus on suicide prevention.

Men’s golf days improve mental health while building connection, with Bundjalung language use strengthening cultural pride and passing on intergenerational knowledge. For women, weaving circles connect to ancestral practices and storytelling.

By embracing both traditional and modern Indigenous culture, the CaT Program offers a holistic, culturally respectful model for healing, strengthening communities through pride, connection, and shared wellbeing.

Mental Health Matters media and the Arts Award

Flourish Australia – Panorama Magazine

Established in Redfern, NSW in 1996, Flourish Australia’s Panorama Magazine promotes mental health recovery by sharing personal stories. Created by a team with lived experience, the magazine supports contributors throughout the writing process, allowing them to tell their stories in their own words.

By showcasing real recovery journeys, Panorama educates, inspires, and helps break down stigma. It’s a valuable tool not only for people living with mental health issues but also for support workers, families, and caregivers. Each story links to practical resources on physical health, housing, employment, and social connection. Using a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach, Panorama fosters respect, hope, and confidence. Distributed nationally, internationally, and online, the magazine reaches over 35,000 readers annually. It is free, published quarterly, and offers a monthly online edition for readers to enjoy or download at their convenience.

Mental Health Matters Youth Award

Social Futures – resilient Kids

Resilient Kids is a community-led, youth-focused mental health and wellbeing program supporting children and young people aged 8–18 in flood-affected regions of Northern NSW. Developed in response to the 2022 floods, it addresses the urgent need for tailored emotional recovery and resilience-building support for young people, parents, and caregivers.

Funded by Healthy North Coast and led by Social Futures in partnership with The Family Centre and Human Nature Adventure Therapy, the program delivers trauma-informed, flexible support through a stepped care model. Services include one-on-one counselling, group and family therapy, and creative programs like surfboard shaping, cooking, music, and ceramics, engaging young people in safe, accessible ways. With six Wellbeing Hubs across the region and outreach services for remote communities, Resilient Kids has reached over 7,400 young people and 700 caregivers. Backed by a $10 million Australian Government grant, it aims to build resilience, improve mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and support disaster recovery.

Wayahead Workplace Wellbeing Award

Proveda – Employee Wellbeing Program

Proveda is deeply committed to creating a mentally healthy, supportive workplace culture. As a local provider of mental health and suicide prevention services, including The Way Back in NSW, Proveda brings expertise and genuine dedication to ensuring staff feel psychologically safe and supported.

Its Employee Wellbeing Program includes practical policies like a dedicated Self-Care Policy, an Inclusive and Safe Language Policy, and a Whistleblower Protection Policy. Proveda is QIP Suicide Prevention Accredited and trains all leaders as Mental Health First Aiders, with additional training offered through the Black Dog Institute. To manage psychosocial risks, Proveda has introduced Universal Meeting-Free Time twice a week, flexible and hybrid work options, a strict offline-after-5:30 PM policy, an extra paid wellbeing day each year, regular wellbeing check-ins, monthly peer shout-outs, and bi-annual performance reviews with full staff participation. Wellbeing is also supported by the Wellbeing Gateway App, constructive feedback models, and a culture of open dialogue through teaming and regular check-ins. Proveda promotes mental health awareness through activities like chair yoga, R U OK? Day initiatives, and community events such as the Manly Spin-a-thon and local suicide prevention committees. Its Compassionate Workplace Program helps other organisations build emotionally intelligent, inclusive environments, reflecting Proveda’s deep commitment to putting people’s mental health first every day.

Mental Health Matters Community Initiative Award

Chain Reaction Foundation – Learning Ground

Mt Druitt Learning Ground is a grassroots, community-led program supporting the wellbeing, mental health, and futures of young people aged 10–17 in Western and South Western Sydney. Since 2006, the Chain Reaction Foundation has provided a positive alternative to exclusionary systems, helping those facing chronic absenteeism, justice involvement, trauma, and mental distress find stability, connection, and hope.

In 2025, 35% of participants identify as Aboriginal, most are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and 61% live with a diagnosed mental health condition. Many also face intergenerational disadvantage.

Operating one day a week for 40 weeks in a trauma-informed, relationship-based environment, participants build trust and consistency with the same mentors. Graduates often return as peer mentors, while families engage through events like Family Fun Fridays and our annual Corroboree. Strong community trust and referrals remain the foundation of our lasting impact on young people’s mental health and community wellbeing.

Julie Leitch Leadership through Lived Experience Award

Simone Short – Gidget Foundation Australia

Each year in New South Wales, around 184,000 new parents face the challenges of parenthood, with one in five mums and one in ten dads experiencing perinatal depression or anxiety. This means over 30,000 parents in NSW face perinatal mental health challenges annually.

Maternal suicide remains a leading cause of death among new mothers. In 2001, Simone Short’s eldest sister, Louise (“Gidget”), took her own life while struggling with postnatal depression, at a time when support was scarce. Motivated by this loss, Simone, her sister Jacqui, and friends founded Gidget Foundation Australia to ensure no family faces such hardship alone.

From a small fundraising lunch, the Foundation has grown to provide free, specialist perinatal mental health support, including counselling and peer groups. For 24 years, Simone’s leadership has driven awareness, education, and accessible care, making her an inspiring force in transforming perinatal mental health in Australia.

Mental Health Matters Rainbow Inclusion Award – Sponsored by ACON

Trans Pride Australia – Friday Night Socials

Friday Night Socials, hosted weekly by Trans Pride Australia, is a safe, inclusive online space where trans and gender diverse individuals connect, share, and support each other. Led by Jo, a trans community member deeply attuned to participants’ needs, the program fosters a judgment-free environment where people can be themselves, learn, grow, and build meaningful relationships.

By prioritising mental wellbeing, it combats isolation and loneliness, offering consistent, reliable support regardless of geography, age, or experience. Each week, participants connect over shared stories and challenges, access peer guidance, and strengthen their sense of belonging. This dependable gathering profoundly improves mental health, giving participants a regular, welcoming space to feel seen, heard, and supported.

Outstanding Achievement in Mental Health Promotion Award

Rural Adversity Mental Health Program – Boots on the Ground Project

For seventeen years, the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) has supported mental health and wellness across rural, remote, and regional NSW, promoting self-care and improving mental health literacy. Facing growing challenges engaging communities through traditional methods due to geographic isolation, limited healthcare access, transport difficulties, and climate-impacted economies RAMHP Coordinators, who live locally, sought new ways to connect.

Through ongoing community consultation, they co-created a strength-based magazine that captures and shares lived experiences with pride, reflecting resilience, hope, and self-care in action. This resource highlights often-hidden struggles, including mental ill-health, while showcasing community creativity in overcoming adversity. “Boots on the Ground” celebrates individuals and communities thriving despite hardship, shares information about RAMHP Coordinators’ support, and raises awareness of alternative resources. At its core, this work embodies the spirit of on-the-ground engagement and empowers people to take meaningful steps toward better mental wellbeing.

Under this section, we would also like to display the finalists selected for each category, but keeping it separate from the winners. There are two finalists for each category.

Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Finalists (2)

Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Award – Finalists

Nura Yoga – Yoga Walks on Country

Yoga Walks on Country is a unique initiative that combines the healing benefits of being on Country with gentle movement, mindfulness, and cultural connection. Co-led by First Nations Elder and Yoga Teacher Aunty Jacqui Jarrett and Yoga Therapist Mischa Telford, the program weaves Aboriginal cultural knowledge, mindful walking, breathwork, and trauma-aware yoga. Its core aim is to enhance social, emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing, particularly for those facing stress, isolation, or health challenges.

Nominated for a Mental Health Matters Award, Jacqui was put forward by The Yoga Foundation, which also facilitated and funded the project. She brings extensive experience, including a 200-hour trauma-informed teacher training and 60 hours of Mental Health Aware yoga training.

Held on Birrabirragal and Gadigal Country, the walks embody junga-ngar raanga miinggi — hearing, listening, learning, feeling, thinking, and understanding — creating culturally safe, inclusive, and deeply healing experiences.

The Glen Group – The Glen for Women

The Glen was established 31 years ago by Cyril Hennessy, a Malyangapa man from Bourke who, after working as a prison and parole officer, became frustrated with a system that sent people back to jail without addressing the addiction and trauma at the heart of their struggles.

Today, The Glen Group operates two residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres on the Central Coast of NSW, The Glen for Men at Chittaway Point and, since 2022, The Glen for Women at Wyong Creek, welcoming Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from across Australia and earning recognition worldwide. Proudly operating under the ADARRN Model of Care, The Glen places culture at the core of healing, treating each person holistically, spiritually, mentally, and physically and addressing the underlying causes of addiction, not just the symptoms. Its program empowers people to take control of their lives, reconnect with their families and communities, and live fulfilling, healthy lives as active and valued members of society.

Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Finalists (3)

Think About It – Think About It Theatre Sports

Nura Yoga – Yoga Walks on Country

Think About It is a Sydney-based not-for-profit Theatre Sports program that has been running for over a decade. Starting with the National Rugby League, it has expanded to all major Australian sporting codes and recently into the corporate sector with clients like National Australia Bank, NSW Police, PWC, Sydney airport and schools including Toowoomba Grammar and St Patrick’s.

Founded by actors and writers Andy Ryan and Damien Freeleagus, the program uses interactive theatre to create safe spaces for open conversations about mental health and taboo topics. Through bespoke scenes, from comedic takes on office parties to raw monologues on sexual assault, Think About It helps people feel comfortable with discomfort. After extensive research, workshops are tailored to each workforce’s wellbeing needs.

no other program has been more embraced by all of Australian sport at a professional level. The team has expanded its work beyond elite athletes to groups such as corporate and government organisations, as mentioned above. Since 2012, major sporting codes have reported significant improvements in mental health awareness thanks to our enduring, impactful work. This is always achieved through identification and relatability, which consistently leads to shame reduction — and in turn opens the door for meaningful conversations and change.

Macquarie University Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre – Breaking Barriers in Older Adult Mental Health

The Breaking Barriers in Older Adult Mental Health initiative is a pioneering collaboration between Macquarie University’s Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre and the CIVIC student internship program, tackling the often-ignored mental health needs of older adults through two powerful short documentaries.

With three clear aims, to reduce stigma, challenge the myth that depression and anxiety are just part of ageing, and show that older adults can thrive with the right support, this project brings overlooked stories to the forefront. A Second Chance at Life, directed by student Tristan Woodington, follows Helen, a widow whose life is transformed through evidence-based therapy, using bold visuals to break through the screen and remind viewers that mental health struggles are closer than we think. Ageing Wisely: Advancing Older Adult Mental Health Care, directed by Yashvanth Kanesan, spotlights real therapy scenarios and insights from professionals across generations, inspiring new interest in this vital field. Created by a diverse team of students under the guidance of leading researchers and storytellers, both films use authentic storytelling, thoughtful visuals, and a respectful approach to shine a light on the resilience, hope, and potential for recovery at every age.

Youth Finalists

Western Sydney University in partnership with Western Sydney Local Health District – Young Wellbeings

Young Well Beings (YWB) is an innovative, evidence-based e-learning resource designed for young mothers aged 16–24 to support their mental health and wellbeing during the perinatal period, co-designed with over 100 young mothers through workshops and activities. The program focuses on five key learning objectives: understanding mental health, identifying strengths, building supportive networks, planning self-care, and building resilience to counter stigma.

YWB empowers young mothers to learn at their own pace through interactive self-assessments, personalised action plans, and guided reflections, with twelve young mothers from the co-design team appearing as peer mentors and avatar guides, sharing real-life stories to create an authentic, supportive environment. Users are welcomed by these peer mentors on the homepage, reinforcing connection and community. The course offers 5–10 hours of engaging content across five modules, featuring 34 videos, 13 podcasts, and 50 interactive activities like quizzes and discussion boards. Accessible and inclusive, it meets WCAG 2.0 Level A standards, with captions, transcripts, and summaries in five additional languages. Winner of the 2024 Global Innovation Award at the OpenLearning Awards, YWB offers built-in guidance and moderation to create a safe, structured, and meaningful learning journey that strengthens individual wellbeing and collective resilience among young mothers.

Little Wings – Soaring Towards Zero

Soaring Toward Zero Bullying represents an extension of Little Wings unwavering commitment to making a tangible difference in the lives of ill children. Little Wings firmly believe that through education, empathy, and acts of kindness, we can contribute to cultivating a more compassionate and inclusive world for all children, irrespective of the unique challenges they face.

This 10-week program is designed for students in years 5-8 and aligns with the Australian Curriculum – Health and Physical Education, fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and inclusion while equipping students with valuable skills to address and prevent bullying. It includes detailed lesson plans for each of the 10 lessons for both upper and lower middle years learners as well as ideas for differentiation to enhance student learning.

Workplace finalists

NSW Ambulance – Shift Worker Wellbeing Guide

Shift workers face complex health challenges, yet few tailored resources exist to support their wellbeing. In response, the NSW Ambulance Staff Health Team developed the Shift Worker Wellbeing Guide; a first-of-its-kind, evidence-based, and scalable resource co-designed with staff to address key concerns around sleep, nutrition, mental health, and physical activity.

The 100-page guide empowers staff with practical strategies to mitigate health risks and thrive in demanding roles. Over 80% of surveyed users reported feeling more supported, and 85% reported making or intending to make positive lifestyle changes. Its impact has been recognised nationally and internationally, with widespread uptake across emergency services and healthcare organisations.

Georges River Council – Keeping our Workforce M-FIT

Georges River Council’s M-FIT strategy is dedicated to building and maintaining a mentally fit workforce by raising awareness, breaking down stigma, and providing practical support for staff wellbeing. Launched in 2021 with a Mental Health Workplace Audit to shape its direction, the 4-year strategy has partnered with the Mental Health Movement to deliver mental health education, response training, and resilience workshops.

Support was further expanded through wellness walls across sites and the introduction of M-FIT Champions, trained peer supporters, in 2022/2023. In 2024, Phase 4, Keeping our Workforce M-FIT, focused on creating a psychosocially safe workplace by empowering staff and leaders to prioritise mental health at individual and team levels. This included targeted workshops for staff, leaders, and Councillors on psychosocial hazards, aligning with WHS Regulation changes from April 2023 and boosting mental health literacy and proactive risk management. The Council also expanded its M-FIT Champions network and enhanced EAP services by introducing on-site wellbeing consultants and running engaging Mental Health Month activities like Lunch! The New Happy Hour! bringing mental fitness to life and strengthening a culture of care and support. Georges River Council continues its commitment to workplace wellbeing with the launch of WELL-FIT in 2025, promoting proactive physical, emotional and mental health across our workforce.

Community Initiative Finalists

Shifa Project – Educaid

The Shifa Project is a community-led mental health and healing initiative launched in late 2023 in response to the escalating crisis and genocide in Gaza and its profound psychosocial impact on Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and broader communities across NSW.

Named after the Arabic word for “healing” and honouring Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the project emerged from urgent community calls for culturally and spiritually grounded support for refugees, new arrivals, diaspora communities, and frontline workers. Co-designed with community leaders and practitioners with lived experience of displacement and trauma, Shifa offers Healing Circles that blend cultural storytelling, art therapy, mindfulness, and psychoeducation in mosques, schools, and community centres, creating safe spaces for collective healing and resilience. Recognising the burden on frontline workers who often share the same grief and fear, Shifa also runs group debriefing and supervision to help manage vicarious trauma and burnout. In partnership with organisations such as, Mindwise, and Islamic schools, Shifa extends its impact through training and workshops that build cultural and mental health literacy among educators, health professionals, and community leaders, enabling this compassionate model to be replicated more widely. Anchored in community wisdom, Shifa Project continues to fill a vital gap for community mental health in NSW.

STARTTS – CALD Community Engagement Project

The STARTTS CALD Community Engagement Project supports the Ezidi refugee community in Armidale, NSW – a group deeply affected by displacement and the 2014 ISIS genocide. Sparked by urgent calls for help after two suicides in 12 months, the project empowers Ezidi people to speak openly about mental health and prevent further loss. It delivers five key programs: a Community Garden, Trauma-Informed Pottery & Narrative Workshops, culturally adapted Suicide Prevention Training, a Wellbeing Ambassadors program (Your Life Matters Campaign), and an Ezidi Tambour and Choir Group.

Central to the project is its community-led approach, with all planning, design, and delivery shaped by Ezidi voices through a Project Working Group of community members, youth, Elders, Ezidi STARTTS staff, schools, health services, and partners. Guided by anti-oppressive principles, it is culturally responsive, relational, and flexible, building trust, belonging, and safe spaces for connection, healing, and hope in a community determined to recover and thrive.

Lived experience award

John Brogden

John Brogden was elected Member for Pittwater, NSW, in 1996 and served as Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005. At the peak of his career in 2005, John survived a suicide attempt, becoming one of Australia’s first high-profile figures to openly confront mental health struggles.

This courageous act shifted the national conversation on suicide, breaking stigma and inspiring hope. For over 12 years, John has volunteered with Lifeline Australia as Chair and Patron, leading major advancements including the launch of 24/7 Text and Chat services, Self-Led Support programs, the disaster crisis line 13HELP during the 2019 bushfires, 13YARN the first national crisis helpline for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and new Lifeline centres across NSW. He also championed the creation of a Lived Experience Advisory Group in 2019. Recently, John published Profiles in Hope, a powerful book featuring interviews with 15 prominent Australians including James Packer, Jacqui Lambie, Layne Beachley, and Ian Thorpe who have faced suicidal thoughts or attempts. By sharing these stories, John continues to provide vital hope and guidance to those struggling with suicidal ideation, making a lasting impact on suicide prevention in Australia.

Stuart O’Neill – Just one reason

Stuart O’Neill is a lived experience mental health advocate, best-selling author of Just One Reason, and founder of the registered charity of the same name.

From the Deepwater Hotel in rural NSW, Stuart has built a grassroots mental health movement with global reach. His book has been reprinted nine times, distributed to over 50,000 people in 20+ countries, and shared widely in remote Indigenous communities in Australia and Canada. It’s featured in a university degree, used in UK mental health training, and is part of a research program in Geneva, Switzerland.

The charity also runs a 24/7 peer support group of 3,000 members, managed by just four volunteers. Whether flying books into drought-stricken farms or creating safe spaces at his pub, Stuart’s storytelling and lived experience have helped thousands find hope, connection, and a reason to stay, earning Deepwater a reputation as the inland capital of rural mental health.

Pride Award

Headspace Miranda – Pridespace

Pridespace is a safe, inclusive social group for LGBTQIA+ young people aged 16–25, offering a supportive space to connect, share experiences, and celebrate diversity.

Facilitated by Amy Lloyd, headspace Miranda’s Community Engagement Coordinator, alongside a clinician and staff member from 2 Connect Youth and Community, Pridespace fosters belonging, reduces isolation, and promotes mental wellbeing through fun activities, creative projects, discussions, and peer connection. The group is free to join and welcomes all young people seeking community and support.

The Identity Clinic – Inclusive Impact Forum

The Inclusive Impact Forum debuted this year as a gathering of advocates dedicated to advancing inclusion and equity, featuring keynote speakers and panelists who shared lived experiences and insights on LGBTQIA+ visibility, respect, and empowerment, especially for those with intersecting identities like disability.

A standout component was an interactive workshop providing professionals and allies with practical tools and strategies to deliver affirming care, address barriers to inclusive support, and foster safer environments. Led by the queer and neurodivergent team at the Identity Clinic, the forum promoted evidence-based education and open dialogue, laying a foundation for ongoing affirming mental health support. Feedback was positive, with requests for longer workshops and continued engagement.

Health Promotion Finalists

House to Grow Ltd – Hidden Stories. Faces of our Community

“Hidden Stories: Faces of our Community” is a powerful one-year educational project highlighting the diverse experiences of 35 individuals from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds across New South Wales, including migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

This initiative empowers participants by fostering belonging and self-confidence through storytelling, culminating in a Multicultural Photography Exhibition that promotes cultural exchange and understanding. Many involved have endured trauma, displacement, discrimination, and social isolation. By sharing their personal journeys, often for the first time in a safe space, they find healing, resilience, and a voice beyond language barriers through photography and storytelling. This process not only aids individual recovery but encourages others facing similar challenges to seek support. The project challenges stereotypes, breaks cultural barriers, and reduces mental health stigma, fostering meaningful cross-cultural connections and social cohesion. Its innovative use of art and culture significantly raises awareness and improves mental wellbeing, establishing “Hidden Stories” as a standout model of mental health promotion in NSW.

Recovery Camp – Recovery Camp’s Therapeutic Recreation Intervention

Recovery Camp delivers a unique, evidence-based five-day, four-night Therapeutic Recreation Intervention program that brings together people with lived experience of mental health and healthcare students from disciplines such as nursing, paramedicine, and occupational therapy, in an immersive bush setting.

Rooted in self-determination theory, co-design, inclusivity, and recovery-oriented practice, the program creates an empowering, stigma-reducing space that fosters recovery, wellbeing, and mental health literacy through group challenges, activities, conversation, and guided reflection.

Since 2013, Recovery Camp has facilitated 51 programs across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. The program has provided occasions of service for over 1,400 experts by lived experience and has provided mental health placement opportunities for 1,900 healthcare students, contributing to 150,000 clinical placement hours.

The program integrates academic research into its design – it’s impact has been documented in over 35 peer-reviewed research articles, ensuring that every aspect of the program is evidence-based and outcomes-focused.

The impact of Recovery Camp’s program is not only quantifiable, but also deeply human – firmly establishing therapeutic recreation as a vital mental health recovery strategy and embedding the program into curricula as a valued mental health clinical placement.

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