Every story matters

The name batyr may not be instantly recognisable to most Australians, but over the past 13 years, it has been steadily building a reputation for its mental health programs, workshops and initiatives  designed specifically to help young people. Indeed, from its humble beginnings in 2011, batyr has become the country’s fastest-growing youth mental health organisation, with a primary focus on the prevention of mental health issues.

Having already reached more than 400,000 young people around the country and working with over 400 high schools across five states, batyr is now partnering with the Audi Foundation to further its work with young people aged 14 to 30. Through its system of peer-to-peer support and research-backed educational programs, batyr works to help mental health issues before they develop and, where necessary, to help young people navigate the often daunting process of getting the appropriate support if it does.

By normalising conversations about mental health and promoting the sharing of actual experiences through personal stories, Batyr’s approach is designed to remove the stigma that so often stops people from recognising issues in the first place.

Indeed it was that very simple realisation that led to the formation of batyr in the first place, when founder Sebastian Robertson, found the voice to share his own story and experiences of dealing with mental ill-health. 

From there it has grown, gathering insights from its work with individuals and academic partners alike to home in on the issues and questions that are most important to young people. Tailoring programs to be delivered both in person and online to give voice to young people and demonstrate in their sharing of lived experiences stories that they are not alone or unique in their concerns and experiences. The organisation helps to build positive skills to help manage mental health and build the resilience and strength to deal with the ongoing pressures of life.

The organisation takes its name from a Kazakh elephant in the early 1970s which was able to ‘speak’ as many as 20 human-sounding words and phrases. That special skill combined with the resilience and courage associated with elephants were fitting attributes to symbolise what the organisation has gone on to represent over the intervening 13 years. From Robertson sharing his own story, the batyr team has grown to include more than 1000 trained storytellers all sharing their experiences and helping others recognise and deal with mental health issues through workshops and specially-designed programs.

“We’re very pleased to welcome batyr as an Audi Foundation partner and to be involved in furthering the outstanding work they are doing,” says Jeff Mannering, Chairman of the Audi Foundation.

“With its proven results in helping young people deal with mental health issues at the earliest stages, batyr is producing positive outcomes in its work to equip young people with the tools they need to be resilient and work through issues that are all too present in modern life.”

batyr’s focus on mental health outcomes fits perfectly with one of the main pillars of the Audi Foundation which has been a staunch supporter of work in the mental health area since its inception in 2017. Building long-term partnerships with organisations with a proven track record in their respective areas has enabled the Audi Foundation and its not-for-profit partners to make a real difference to people right around the country. 

This new partnership with batyr build’s on Audi Foundation’s commitment to helping promote positive mental health in Australia, while its focus on young people and preventative measures represent another important step in promoting a mentally-healthy Australia.