We are so proud to celebrate two young people from our Midland Youth Reference Group (YRG) – Katrina and Kassandra – who recently attended the National Suicide Prevention Australia Conference in Sydney.
Katrina and Kassandra bring lived experience, knowledge and deep commitment to improving mental health outcomes for young people to not only our Midland YRG, but to the entire youth mental health sector through their advocacy and PhD studies. They were also engaged as consultants in the development of our Outcome and Impact Model which was released in 2025.
Katrina and Kassandra received bursaries to attend the National Suicide Prevention Australia Conference. In their words:
“It was such an incredible experience attending the National Suicide Prevention Australia Conference in Sydney. It was so inspiring to hear from researchers, clinicians, advocates, and lived-experience speakers all working to prevent suicide across Australia. The conference highlighted the importance of collaboration, early intervention, reducing stigma, and ensuring that research continues to translate into meaningful and accessible support. We are so grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many important perspectives and be part of these meaningful conversations. We look forward to applying the insights gained to help improve mental health outcomes and suicide prevention efforts. “
Katrina was invited to present at last year’s conference, where she talked about the importance and benefits of empowering young people to share their life experiences, and how research in this area can lead to better outcomes for young people.
Their participation highlights why lived experience matters in research, in policy and in practice.
The knowledge, skills and perspectives that Katrina and Kassandra – and all of our YRG members – bring help us ensure our work is grounded in what’s important to young people, and what they actually need.
