Try Time! A mental health conversation starter

The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys Try Time! community program is helping young people start important conversations about how to recognise and respond to mental health challenges as they navigate through high school.

The Try Time! Head in the Game module, presented by Sun Metals, is delivered by former Cowboys player Ray Thompson who draws on his own experiences in life and as a professional footballer to engage the students in a relatable way.

Week one of term four saw the program rolled out to multiple schools across grades 10 to 12, ahead of Queensland Mental Health Week on 5 – 13 October.

“It’s extremely important to get young people talking about mental wellbeing and educate them about how to label their feelings which can then help them to seek help and find a solution,” Ray said.

“I try to use my own experiences through my playing journey as a way to show them that everyone goes through challenges from time to time, it’s ok to admit to struggling and to seek help,” he said.

Research shows mental health disorders carry the largest burden of disease for 15-24 year olds and shockingly, suicide is the most common cause of death in this age group. But 65 per cent of adolescents won’t seek help for mental health concerns.

Thuringowa State High School year 10 student Ethan Free said Ray’s Head in the Game presentation would make it more likely for students to talk about how they’re feeling.

“It’s pretty hard to be a teenager, sometimes it can be sunshine and rainbows and other days you can be completely down – it can change in an instant,” Ethan said.

“It was very inspirational how Ray talked about how to address the emotions when you have them and I liked how he wasn’t afraid to express how he was feeling and share what he has gone through. It feels like I can express how I’m feeling too.”

Sun Metals Finance and Business Planning Director Simon Sleigh said the Head in the Game message was something the students could draw upon as they become young adults.

“The learning from this program will stay with these young people as they transition into work and adult life where they will all encounter and overcome many obstacles in life,” he said.

“I think the real difference with Try Time! is that it’s a relaxed discussion about important things with someone who the students look up to and admire.”

Thuringowa State High School Head of Student Services Bri Clancy said the school was focused on creating a safe space for students to talk about what used to be a taboo subject.

“It’s important for us as a school to value students as a whole person and we know that if they’re not holistically well, then they’re not going to be at their best to learn,” she said.

“I think they feel a little bit special that someone’s prepared to come out and talk to them about this stuff and you hear them as they walk out and over the following days talking about it – it’s a great conversation starter.”

Try Time! is an educational program run by the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys in secondary schools targeting students in years 10, 11 and 12. All Try Time! modules are available for presentation in North Queensland secondary schools through the school year.

To register your interest, visit cowboys.com.au/community/try-time/.