Walk-a-thon to combat isolation

During the walk, students are encouraged to talk to their peers, develop new friendships and strengthen relationships within their school community.

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It comes as more Australian children are experiencing heightened levels of loneliness and isolation during the pandemic, with a staggering 40 per cent of young people concerned for their mental health.

Peer Support Australia chief executive Greg Cantwell said the event was more important now than ever.

“Our program has always been important but the mental health effects on school-aged children during COVID-19 have been even more prominent this year,” he said.

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Peer Support Australia is encouraging local schools to participate in the event on a day of their choice throughout the month as a way to promote mental health and wellbeing.

The format of the event is designed to be flexible, with the walk’s distance, location and participating year levels able to be adapted to suit each school’s needs.

“We are especially encouraging schools that are recommencing in-person teaching to use the Talk-and-Walk-a-Thon as an opportunity for students to reconnect, while remote learning students can use the talking points included in our toolkit to start online conversations,” Mr Cantwell said.

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The 2020 Talk-and-Walk-a-Thon coincides with National Mental Health Month which occurs this October.

Participation is free and schools can register to participate by heading to this link.

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