On Friday 30th April 2021, a group of Australia’s top business leaders will take to the skies with Skydive Australia, owned by ASX-listed company Experience Co, to participate in the inaugural ‘CEO Skydive for Mental Health’.
This important initiative will raise funds for the Black Dog Institute and their critical research that helps support mental health and suicide prevention.
The pressures of recent events including COVID-19 and the Australian Bushfires of 2019/2020, have resulted in an increase in mental health issues in Australia. Research from the Black Dog Institute, the only Medical Research Institute in Australia to investigate mental health across a life span, shows 78% of Australians said their mental health had worsened as a result of COVID.
The tourism sector has been hit particularly hard by challenges related to COVID and John O’Sullivan who heads up Experience Co cites a marked increase in the use of their Employee Assistance Program due to the pressure caused by these events. “The last 12 months can only be described as extraordinary and working within these difficult times has certainly taken its toll on many people both physically and mentally, resulting in mental health being one of the major concerns facing employers”, said O’Sullivan.
“Research provided by Black Dog Institute shows one in five working-age Australians are currently experiencing mental illness, most commonly depression and anxiety.”
“I hope through this partnership and the inaugural ‘CEO Skydive for Mental Health’, we can not only raise much needed funds to support the incredible research by Black Dog Institute but also create greater awareness of this issue in all our industries and the community.”
Being a research led, solution and program driven organisation, Black Dog Institute is committed to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness and the reduction of suicide rates. Driven by science, compassion and action, they transform their research and knowledge into easily accessible, practical programs and services across the broader community.
Professor Samuel Harvey, Deputy Director and Chief Psychiatrist at the Black Dog Institute said, “the rising burden of mental ill health in our population is one of the key medical challenges facing our generation and it is estimated that 1 in 5 people will experience symptoms of mental illness in any given year, and approximately 60% of those people won’t seek help.”
“We are delighted to partner with Experience Co on this initiative as conversation and increased awareness, which the ‘CEO Skydive for Mental Health’ is generating, partnered with research and science is the best way to improve people’s mental health and wellbeing.”
The community outreach and awareness generated through the business leaders participating in the skydive will be extensive with a wide range of industries represented – tourism, construction, insurance, legal services, sports, technology and health.
Many of these leaders are facing their fears and challenging themselves by participating and doing the skydive itself. They all have differing stories as to why they are taking part, however are united in their desire to create awareness and raise critical funds for this cause as statistics show in a workplace of 10 or more people, there’s a chance at least one or two people in the team is living with a mental illness.
The event will be held at Skydive Australia’s Wollongong Dropzone starting at 8:30am and followed by a casual beachside celebratory lunch with the announcement of the total funds raised for this initiative.
