A new partnership between Landcare NSW and Gotcha4Life will soon see the delivery of workshops and training in rural communities across NSW to address mental health and build mental fitness.

The partnership, announced last night in Sydney, will focus on ‘prevention through connection’.

Landcare NSW signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gotcha4Life, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to connecting corporate Australia, government, community and NFP to help reduce instances of poor mental health in Australia. The MoU is for Landcare NSW to assist in the delivery of Gotcha4Life programmes through the extensive Landcare networks across the state to reach a wider audience efficiently and effectively.

Landcare NSW CEO, Dr Adrian Zammit, said: “Landcare NSW is delighted to partner with Gotcha4Life and deliver these worthwhile programs using Landcare’s social capital, connection and networks across NSW. Positive mental health is something that everyone needs to work on, but in these trying times of prolonged drought and bushfires it’s particularly hard.

“Our rural and regional communities are hurting. The state is in the grips of the worst drought on record, and many farmers have not received any income from their farms for several years and the current climatic forecast suggests that there is no prospect of significant, drought-breaking, rain in the near future. For many people in our rural communities, the onset and impacts of a catastrophic bushfire season, is the last straw.

“It is incredibly important to support our rural and regional communities through this time. Across our communities we are seeing a dramatic increase for the need for support and connection and our aim is to empower communities to take effective action, build connection and reduce the incidence of suicide and the heart-breaking impact it has on our communities.

“Landcare is more than a collective movement. It is a community and for many across NSW, it is a family,” said Adrian.

Founder of Gotcha4Life and television and radio personality, Gus Worland said: “Our vision at Gotcha4Life is a world where people are open, honest and supportive in their relationships and comfortable to express themselves when they are not O.K. We envisage a society in which everyone has a Gotcha4Life mate who they can open up to, warts and all and rely on no matter what.

“We’ve set an ambitious aim to reach 500,000 people within the next five years who will be benefiting from mental fitness programs to ensure these friendships can be activated when it really counts. Our partnership with Landcare NSW will be vital to achieve this,” said Gus.

Gotcha4Life funds sustainable educational workshops, training programs and products that build mental fitness in communities across Australia to enable strong, open and binding relationships.

Every year:

• Over 65,000 Australians make a suicide attempt
• More than eight people die each day in Australia by suicide
• Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between 15 and 44 years of age
• In 2017, about 75% of people who died by suicide were males and 25% were females

For further information contact:

Jodie Lovell, Landcare NSW
Email: jlovell@landcarensw.org.au
Mobile: 0439 316 151