We had two fun activities young people could engage with, the first was offering the opportunity to write down something that makes them happy to add to our growing paperchain Chain of Happiness. As the day went on, the chain grew and brought our stall to life, a colourful reminder of the many things that bring joy to our community.

Families were also asked to snap a polaroid photo to take home on a keychain or as a fridge magnet to remember the day – or to gift to a parent or grandparent.

“The activities were a fun way to chat with the people that stopped by the stall, allowing us to have meaningful conversations with young people and their families about mental health and that we were a service they can always reach out to if they need someone to talk to or listen,” shared Nina, Community Engagement Officer.

“A moment that stood out for me was with an eight-year-old boy who wrote ‘giving money to sick kids’ on his “what makes you happy?” paperchain. His mum teared up, and I asked him to tell me more about that. His mum shared that it was his birthday the week prior and he had been given $200 cash to buy toys for himself which he had been looking forward to buying, instead, he donated all $200 to Telethon. I explained how special that was and how some of that money helps us at Youth Focus. We talked about how at Youth Focus we help we help young people who might feel sad or overwhelmed or scared feel happy again, and his reaction to that was beautiful.”

The APM Charity Zone is always a fun place to be, with service providers from across WA coming together to celebrate the generosity of the people of WA and the support we receive as beneficiaries of Telethon7. We are so grateful to be a Telethon beneficiary, and in awe of another record-breaking total, thanks to the incredible generosity of the people of WA.