Impacts of adolescent participation in a mental health education, leadership, and advocacy program (the Live4Life Crew) on outcomes after leaving secondary school in Victoria, Australia: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background

A key component of the Live4Life program, run by not-for-profit entity Youth Live4Life, is a ‘Crew’ of youth mental health ambassadors aged 14–16 years who undergo a mental health education, leadership, and advocacy program. Building on past evaluations, this study explores the impacts of Live4LifeCrew participation on their lives after leaving secondary school.

Objective

This study describes the impacts of Crew participation on alumni's health, wellbeing, education, employment, and skill development after leaving secondary school, and to explore the drivers of these impacts.

Methods

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with Crew alumni (n = 16, 67 % female) in Victoria, Australia. Template analysis was used to analyse the data, using the Bronfenbrenner's Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) as an organising framework.

Results

Crew participation enhanced interpersonal skills such as leadership, communication, public speaking, and empathy that alumni continued to use in their study, work, and relationships. Participants reported maintenance of key Mental Health First Aid skills, including knowledge of mental health problems and confidence to help others experiencing a mental health crisis. Their own help-seeking behaviours improved during and after Crew participation. Effective adult support was vital in shaping participant experiences; however, when such support did not consider the school or community context, it negatively impacted Crew members' experiences. Crew alumni characterised the Live4Life model as unique in a context with high stigma around mental health challenges and limited mental health education.

Conclusions

Alumni described the Live4Life Crew program as an impactful and positive experience. Participants noted the importance of tailoring implementation to specific settings to further enhance the program's impact.