Kimberley teenagers learn skills to help themselves and others with mental health issues at zero2hero

Broome’s Scarlett Boon-Shillinglaw now has the skills to help other young people with mental health issues. (Supplied: zero2hero)

At just 16 years of age, Scarlett Boon-Shillinglaw is already taking on some of life’s biggest challenges.

The Broome Senior High School student was one of 20 young people from the Kimberley who embarked on a five-day leadership camp in Dwellingup, south of Perth, last month.

Organised by youth mental health organisation zero2hero, the teenagers learned how to respond to someone struggling with poor mental health amid shocking rates of suicide and self-harm in the region.

The Kimberley has one of the highest rates of suicide in Australia with social organisations struggling to tackle the endemic issue.

With no phones allowed on camp, Scarlett said she learned the importance of when to talk, when to listen, and how to get her peers help.

“Some of my friends have struggled with mental health and I’ve been in positions where I’ve been the one trying to talk through things with them,” she said.

“Even though I’ve been semi-confident with what I’ve said, being on camp made me realise there was a lot more that I could have said or I could have done in leading them in the right direction.”

Scarlett said external pressures including school, friendship troubles, and social media played a big part in the wellbeing of young people.

“It’s in everyone’s life,” she said.

“Everyone’s life story is different. Someone who may have had a traumatic upbringing compared to someone who is quite privileged may even have the same mental health issues.”

Calls for critical support

According to data published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Kimberley recorded 58 deaths by suicide between 2018 and 2022.

The region had the highest rate of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm across WA for 2021–2022.

While the sudden deaths of young people in the Kimberley region have been the subject of numerous coronial inquests, inquires and reviews, zero2hero’s fundraising manager Oscar Wharton said children were struggling to access basic mental health support.

“Nothing is hurting young people more in the region than poor mental health,” he said.

Chief executive Ashley Harrison said a greater commitment in suicide and self-harm prevention was needed.

“The rates are an absolute tragedy,” she said.

“We’re talking three times higher than its counterpart in Perth in hospitalisation for self-harm, which is a huge concern.

“That’s due to several complexities of issues, but in particular the lack of services available, the lack of help available and, in our case, the lack of education and support available for young people to learn what they need to support themselves, and then also support their friends.”

Peer support leaders

Ms Harrison said the leadership camps were a critical part of the solution, as more young people turned to each other for help instead of their parents or adult caregivers.

“We know that teenagers will reach out to their friends first regardless of how great mum and dad are, how great their local psychologist is, or their school teachers are,” she said.

“[The student leaders] cannot just look out for themselves, but they have the skills to look out for their peers as well when someone’s at risk of suicide.”

Scarlett hoped talking openly about mental health encouraged other young people to reach out.

“You should always get support,” she said.

“Never think that your problem is too small or too unimportant.”