By Juliano Oliveira
The demand for mental health and wellbeing has increased at HeadSpace, a free and confidential service that helps young people in the Southern Downs Region aged 12-25.
It comes at a time of the year in which year 12 students are overwhelmed with exams and constant thoughts of what lies ahead in an after-school world.
“I’m about to finish school. I’m not sure what I want to do. But, you know, they’ve been at school for 13 years of their life, and now all of a sudden, they’re out in the big world, and they are not really sure,“ Warwick’s HeadSpace manager, Travis Maguire, says.
Students living in areas without universities ended up being the most affected, as moving to a new city is definitely on the scope. Added the mix of feelings of saying goodbye to family and friends.
“It’s not uncommon for a lot of young people this time of year to be facing their final exams and still not sure what they want to do. It can be daunting because unemployment is a bit of trouble. So they might not get into the industry,“ Mr Maguire says.
“There are also questions about moving to Brisbane. What am I going to do when I arrive there? Where am I going to live, and how am I going to afford this?“
HeadSpace works with different schools in the area, offering a tailored presentation for their young students. At the moment, 250 young people are actively seeking the organisation’s service. On a week’s average, 50 to 60 youngsters walk through the institution requesting assistance.
According to Mr Maguire, 25 per cent of HeadSpace’s customers are included in the year 12 at school. In 2020, the Queensland Government surveyed students about to finish their studies: 58 per cent aimed to get into education or training after school, while 22.5 per cent wanted to move to employment only. Finally, 19.5 per cent were not in education, employment or training.
