By Jed Lanyon
Healesville Junior Football Club partnered with Positive T Shirts to host the ‘Talk Out Loud’ round at Queens Park Oval on Sunday 14 July.
For the third consecutive year, the club raised funds for youth organisation In2Life and players wore blue armbands to raise awareness about the growing issue of mental illness.
The event ran all day alongside the club’s junior games and featured a barbecue, the Positive T Shirts stall, and an artist drawing cartoons and caricatures of people.
Healesville Junior Football Club committee member and founder of Positive T Shirts Neil Milton explained why it is important for people to reach out for help.
“We recognised that suicide in the Yarra Valley is quite high and we’re trying to stop that.
“As a committee we recognise that it’s really important to educate the kids about mateship, how important it is to look after our mates and to talking out loud.”
“I’m hoping that people walk away with the feeling that it’s okay to talk about what’s going on in their life and to not keep it to themselves.
“All the proceeds will be going towards preventing youth suicide.
“People see the Positive logo or they see Talk Out Loud and they ask about it. They end up asking that question and it starts the conversation on the topic that no one wants to talk about.”
For more information about Positive T Shirts, visit: https://www.positivetshirts.com.au/
