Christ Church Grammar School students attend Camp Hero to spread mental health awareness

TWO Christ Church Grammar School (CCGS) students trained at Camp Hero for a week in October to help prevent suicide in their school community.

Year 11 students Ben Davison-Petch and Marcus Handley were two of 41 students across WA who went to Nanga Bush camp in Dwellingup to complete the five-day intensive mental health leadership program.

The camp, aimed at young leaders from year nine to 12, allowed students to complete a suicide prevention and alertness accreditation.

Mr Davison-Petch said he always had a fascination with the mind and the brain, and an interest in mental health.

“I’ve been shaped by a number of events in which friends have spoken to me about rather confronting mental health issues that they were facing, and wanting to help them has driven me to learn about mental health issues and how to improve them,” he said.

He said Camp Hero gave him the opportunity to further learn about mental health.

“For me, the most rewarding thing was peering into the insights of all of the incredibly passionate and intelligent people around me – students, mentors and volunteers alike,” he said.

Mr Handley said the camp helped him gain skills and confidence.

Ben and Marcus are both members of the school’s CCGS Student Wellbeing Committee.

Mr Davison-Petch said the committee’s main goal for the coming year was to develop an ethos in which the students will be encouraged to seek out any help they may need.

“Part of this goal is to get the student prefect body trained in safeTALK, a mental health first aid accreditation,” he said.