Non-profit organisation Kookaburra Kids has secured a major boost with the Bupa Foundation stepping in as the principal partner.
A substantial funding injection of $250,000 is set to support the launch of Regenerate, a nature-based program aimed at approximately 1,000 young individuals impacted by family mental illness across various cities in Australia throughout 2024.
Kookaburra Kids CEO Renee Coffey highlighted the profound impact of mental health challenges on the youth and the organisation's mission to provide assistance.
“We know approximately 23% of Australian children are living in families impacted by mental illness. That equates to around 1,000,000 Australian children,” she said. “Each day, we have families asking us for help – and when we have to turn young people away due to limited funding and program capacity, it's the most heartbreaking part of our work. That's just one reason I am excited to welcome Bupa Foundation as a principal partner and to launch this innovative new nature-based program for young people.”
Regenerate, designed as an emotionally and environmentally regenerative initiative, will offer camps, activity days, and online connect sessions in 2024.
The program's approach aims to immerse young people in natural environments, combining mental health literacy activities to foster overall well-being. The focus on environmental themes and engagement in nature-based experiences is expected to contribute positively to the physiological and psychological aspects of participants.
“By being immersed in natural environments and environmental themes and participating in Kookaburra Kids' proven mental health literacy activities, young people will learn and have fun alongside their peers, all while experiencing the health benefits of being in natural environments,” Coffey said.
Roger Sharp, Bupa Asia Pacific chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, emphasised the initiative's aim to empower young individuals impacted by family mental illness through unique opportunities for mental health enhancement and environmental awareness.
“This innovative pre-early intervention initiative aims to empower young individuals impacted by family mental illness by providing them with unique opportunities to enhance their mental health, resilience, and environmental awareness,” he said.
Scheduled programs for the first half of 2024 encompass:
To be eligible for participation in Regenerate, a referred young person must have a parent/caregiver or sibling with a mental illness.
The partnership follows Bupa's introduction of a new funding model for hospitals across Australia encompassing almost 500 medical consumable items crucial for everyday surgeries.
