As a mother of two young men, keeping an eye on their mental health is always at the forefront of my mind. Parenting is a delicate balancing act—setting boundaries, staying connected in the hope they’ll come to you for help, and offering guidance while allowing them room to make mistakes. As parents, our instinct is to protect them and remove their pain, but doing so robs them of crucial life lessons that build identity, resilience, and drive.
When my sister had her son, she asked me, "What's the best advice you can give me?" I told her, "It never gets easier; each stage is different," and I still stand by that. When our kids level up, we need to level up as parents, which isn’t easy! The bigger they get, the bigger the potential problems and risks—and there’s no handbook for any of this!
Life for today’s teens is worlds apart from how I grew up. Social media is a pressure cooker, academic stress is overwhelming, and the endless messages about who they should be and what they should look like are constant. Social comparison is immediate and relentless, and the suffocating feeling of not measuring up is all too real.
Having conversations with parents, teachers, and teens, I hear firsthand how the youth mental health crisis has moved beyond headlines and sound bites. Many parents are juggling teens, aging parents, and the chaos of daily life, while Teachers are overburdened with an exhausting curriculum and behaviour management challenges.
Where did it all go so wrong?
There needs to be a shift in multiple areas for us to see real change.
Parents are struggling under financial pressure, often requiring two incomes just to make ends meet. They come home after a long workday, shuttle kids between activities, manage homework, cook dinner, and collapse into bed, only to repeat the cycle the next day. With their energy drained, many turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol. As parents, we lead by example, and while "do as I say" falls on deaf ears, "do as I do" resonates deeply. We need to press pause and prioritise our mental health, self-care, and nervous system regulation. When we are regulated, we help co-regulate our children.
Educators face their own struggles. Recent news stories about violence against teachers in the classroom are deeply concerning. While past disciplinary methods weren’t perfect, violence against teachers was unheard of when I was in school. Today, escalating student behaviour, increasing administrative demands, and unreasonable expectations from parents are pushing teachers to their limits.
The numbers speak for themselves: last year, more than 76,000 Queensland students were suspended, and teachers are facing verbal abuse from parents on a regular basis. Workers' compensation claims for psychological and physical injuries in schools have skyrocketed, reflecting the stress and pressure teachers face.
Our youth are also dealing with alarming rates of diagnosed medical conditions, and while accommodations are necessary, poor behaviour still needs to be addressed with boundaries and consequences. We’re also losing the art of real connection—everyone is glued to a screen, and family dinners seem to be reserved for special occasions. The village it once took to raise a child is no longer there, and social media, which promises connection, often leaves us feeling lonely.
When delivering our Youth Street Smart and Wellbeing Program I’ve found our teens are acutely aware of the signs of mental health struggles like anxiety and depression. Yet they often lack the skills to support a friend in need or manage their own mental health, which is why this program is so important. Teens, as well as their schools, appreciate the real impact these programs can have on their lives.
Mental health still carries a stigma, especially for boys, who are often told to "tough it out" or "be a big boy." This mindset suppresses emotions and leads to low emotional intelligence, poor relationships, and increased anxiety and depression. Disturbingly, males are three times more likely to die by suicide than females.
What can we do to turn things around?
1. Start Talking About Mental Health Early and Often
One of the most important things we can do is normalise conversations around mental health. When we talk about it openly, we send the message that it’s okay to seek help. Schools, families, and communities need to create spaces where young people feel safe to express what they’re going through without fear of judgment.
2. Equip Youth with Tools for Self-Care
We often forget that young people are still learning how to manage their emotions and mental well-being. Schools can play a huge role here, teaching students practical ways to take care of themselves. From breathing exercises to mindfulness techniques, there are simple yet effective tools that can help them navigate stress.
3. Encourage Connection, Not Comparison
Helping teens build real, meaningful connections is critical. Encouraging face-to-face interactions, teaching them how to support one another, and focusing on empathy over competition can make a huge difference. Peer support programs can be especially impactful, giving students the opportunity to help each other through tough times.
4. Recognize the Signs Early
Parents, teachers, and friends can all play a role in spotting the early signs of mental health struggles. Subtle changes in behaviour, such as withdrawal, mood swings, or a drop in academic performance, can be red flags. The sooner we acknowledge these signs, the sooner we can intervene and offer support.
5. It’s not about being perfect
It’s crucial for our youth to learn life lessons, as these experiences shape their ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build resilience. Challenges and setbacks teach valuable lessons about perseverance, responsibility, and self-reliance. Allowing them to face and overcome struggles (with you in the background as the quiet observer) helps build the resilience they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Have conversations with our youth about influences and tik tokers, more often than not these influences are uneducated in the field they are preaching, are giving harmful advice and have their own agenda.
6. Empowerment
Understanding their values is essential for our youth, as it gives them clarity and direction in life. It helps them make decisions, navigate peer pressure, and stay true to themselves. By knowing what they stand for, they gain confidence and develop a strong moral compass that guides them through challenges.
7. Parents pressing pause
Parents who prioritise their own mental health and self-care set a powerful example for their children, showing that it’s okay to take time for yourself and seek help when needed. By modelling healthy coping strategies and emotional resilience, you teach kids how to manage stress and handle challenges effectively.
8. Supporting our Educators
Parents and the community can support Teachers by having respectful communication and by reinforcing positive behaviour expectations at home. Volunteering time, whether in the classroom or at school events, can ease the pressure on Teachers. Respecting boundaries and advocating for a better work / life balance will help reduce Teacher stress and burnout.
9. Support a Balanced Lifestyle
For everyone! But for our youth by encourage a balance between academics, social life, and downtime helps prevent burnout and promotes mental well-being. Encourage physical activity has been shown to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and increase overall mental well-being.
10. Professional Help is Essential
Finally, there’s no replacement for professional help. Therapists, counsellors, and psychologists are trained to guide young people through their struggles in a way that friends and family might not be able to. Encouraging young people to reach out to a professional when they need it is one of the most powerful things we can do.
Our youth are our future, and their mental well-being is a priority we cannot ignore. While the current crisis is complex, the solutions don’t have to be. It starts with awareness, conversation, and care. We all need to take ownership and do our little bit to steer the direction of change for the better.
Let’s keep the conversation going, and let’s keep showing up for our young people. After all, they deserve nothing less.
Would like to more about our Youth Safety and Wellbeing Programs?
These programs are not about what you ‘should’ or shouldn’t’ do, we teach them skills and strategies to cope when things do go wrong.
60 – 90 minutes of fun, engaging, age-appropriate education. The class is experiential, students will experience different techniques and walk away with life skills and strategies.
Program benefits:
Life skills in First Aid Management
Learn how to identify, support and assist someone with Mental Health concerns.
Learn how to manage their Mental Health
Strategies to regulate their nervous system, reduce stress response and anxiety.
Learn self soothing techniques to balance parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system
Resilience Strategies
Visualisation techniques
Junior Safety and Wellbeing – Kindy to year 6
An age appropriate introduction to the basics of CPR and First Aid. Creating awareness in managing ‘big emotions’ how to self soothe and regulate their own nervous system. We are never to young to learn!
A great program! A perfect format to create awareness and introduce the children to first aid. The Trainer was fun and did a great job keeping the children on task and engaged. Highly recommend. Amberley District After School Care
Youth Street Smart Safety & Wellbeing – years 7 to 11
Teaching our youth to be resourceful in a first aid emergency. They will also learn to recognize mental health issues, support others, and strategies to build self-regulation and resilience.
24.5% of students said they were confident in safety and mental health awareness prior to our class
92% of students said they were confident in these areas after our class
"For the past 3 years and booked again for this year F.A.S.T. First Aid Training has presented the ‘Street Smart Safety and Well-being’ Program to our Year 10 cohort during our Be Confident week. Our students have found value in learning ‘real world’ strategies and how to be resourceful in the event of a first aid emergency. Equipping our students with the ability to offer aid to someone experiencing mental health concerns and enhance their own mental well-being is a priority to us. The program aligns with our school values, is age appropriate, engaging and the feedback is very positive from the students."
Dr Leigh Hobart, Deputy Headmaster Academic Performance and Innovation P-12
Brisbane Boys College
Schoolies Safety and Wellbeing – year 12
The youth program is adapted to address the challenges our year 12’s may face as they test boundaries during Schoolies Week.
“Today was exceptional, the statistics are phenomenal”
S. Murphy - Deputy Principal
We need your support
If you are a parent or Teacher and would like your school to deliver our Youth Street Smart and Well-being Program please forward this link to your school. We would really appreciate your support.
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