Since 2003, a team of passionate individuals has cycled 700km from Albany to Perth, raising funds for Youth Focus. In that time, the Hawaiian Ride for Youth has raised nearly $32 million for youth mental health – a testament to the support of the community and our collective commitment to youth mental health.
Each of these 150 riders train and fundraise intensively for six months in advance of the ride. That’s six months of 4am wake-up calls, grueling training sessions, and break-of-dawn weekend time trials – all while working hard to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health. And that’s all before they undertake the 700km ride from March 19-23.
Find out what inspires our riders here.
En route from Albany to Perth, the cyclists stop at around 15 local schools, where they meet students and share stories. They’re joined by the local Youth Focus clinicians who work within each of the schools, so that after each school visit, young people know where they can reach out for help. It’s all part of breaking down the stigma around mental health, showing young people that they’re not alone.
The Hawaiian Ride for Youth keeps growing every year, with more and more young riders joining the journey.
Subiaco’s Trent Davey will gear up for his second Hawaiian Ride for Youth in 2024, drawing motivation from his own experience with mental health challenges and a passion for supporting the impactful work of Youth Focus. Having lost two close friends to suicide at the age of 16, the 24-year-old understands the ripple effect within families and communities.
“The Ride for me is about breaking down the stigma of youth mental health and about raising crucial funds and awareness for what I believe is the most challenging contemporary health topic,” he says.
The Hawaiian Ride for Youth brings the community together to create meaningful change.
“The Ride has such a strong community of people who are all striving together to achieve one common purpose, in helping young Western Australians overcome mental health challenges,” Trent says.
Twenty-one-year-old Ben Olson is also taking part in the ride for the second time in 2024. The Cottesloe resident will be riding with his dad, Ian, who has participated five times. Ben’s grandpa has also been part of the support crew on the ride.
“To me, the ride means being part of a community; one that becomes really close due to training and spending time together, as well as hearing others’ stories,” Ben explains.
“It also means spreading these stories with other communities throughout WA, and hoping that our actions can help others that may need it.”
Every dollar raised for the Hawaiian Ride for Youth shows the riders that the community is backing them and cheering them on; every donation helps enable the vital services that they’re riding to support.
If you would like to support the riders, please click here.