Early help for young minds
You know your young person needs help.
You've made the calls.
You've spoken to the school.
You've been to the GP.
Maybe you've joined another waitlist.
Maybe you've been told they're not unwell enough for one service, or their needs are too complex for another.
Maybe you've finally found someone who can help, but you simply can't afford months of private therapy.
And all the while, you're watching your young person struggle.
Families shouldn't have to wait until things reach crisis point before they can get help.
The Village Youth Foundation was created to help change that.
We're building a community-funded model of affordable, local mental health support for young people aged 12–25 and their families across Baw Baw and the Latrobe Valley.
Because when a young person is struggling, they need more than another referral.
They need a Village.
Mental health support for teens
What's happening for a young person can affect school, friendships, family relationships, confidence, identity and their sense of belonging.
And when a young person is struggling, their family can find themselves trying to navigate a complicated system while supporting someone they love.
That's why The Village Youth Foundation has been designed around wraparound care.
Wraparound care
Depending on available funding and the needs of each family, our model is designed to provide:
Affordable One-to-One Counselling
Up to 12 affordable counselling sessions with an accredited, trauma-informed therapist, giving young people time to build trust and engage in meaningful therapeutic support.
Support for Parents & Families
We help families navigate referrals, services, advocacy and communication with the other people supporting their young person.
Because parents and carers shouldn't have to navigate the system alone.
Connection & Belonging
Our planned after-school peer support program will give young people a safe, welcoming place to connect with others, build relationships and experience that incredibly important feeling:I'm not the only one.
Help Navigating What Comes Next
Behind every appointment is coordination, communication and connection with families and, where appropriate, schools and other services.
Because good mental health support isn't simply about what happens during one hour in a therapy room.
It's about putting a Village around a young person.
Worried about your young person?
Sometimes it's obvious that a young person needs support.
Sometimes it's simply a feeling that something isn't right.
You might be noticing:
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Anxiety or persistent worry
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Low mood or withdrawal
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School avoidance or refusal
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Difficulty with friendships or feeling like they don't belong
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Low confidence or self-esteem
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Family or relationship difficulties
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Emotional overwhelm
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Changes in behaviour
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Self-harm or concerning thoughts
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Alcohol or drug use
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The effects of trauma or difficult life experiences
Or perhaps your young person has simply said:“I need someone to talk to.”
You don't need to wait until they're in crisis to take that seriously.
Early support matters.
It Takes a Village.
This Is Where You Come In.
You don't have to be a mental health professional to change the trajectory of a young person's life.
You can help make sure support is there when they ask for it.
The Village Youth Foundation is powered by community investment.
Local businesses.
Community organisations.
Philanthropic partners.
And people who simply believe that where a young person lives, or what their family can afford, shouldn't determine whether they can access mental health support.
Your contribution helps reduce the cost of counselling for local families and, as funding grows, helps us provide family support, peer connection and the coordination that wraps care around the young person.
This isn't funding an idea somewhere else.
It's supporting young people right here in our community.
Young people who go to our local schools.
Play in our sporting clubs.
Work in our businesses.
And belong to families we know.
When we invest in them, we invest in the future of our whole community.
How your support helps
The cost of care is shared three ways, so no family carries it alone.
Your generosity covers that community funded half, so no young person misses out simply because their family can't cover the full cost.
Family Contribution
25%
A small contribution from families for each session.
25%
The Village Health Subsidy
Provided by The Village Health to support every young person who walks through our doors.
50%
Community Fund
Covered by donations and sponsorships from people in this community who believe our young people matter.
Your Investment Becomes Support
$20 - $50
Helps cover resources for counselling sessions; things like therapy tools, activities and wellbeing materials that make each session more engaging and effective.
$100
Sponsors the community-funded portion of one counselling session, lifting the weight of financial stress so families aren't left to carry it alone.
$300
Sponsors the community-funded portion of three counselling sessions, giving a young person a safe space to connect with real, timely mental health care.
$600
Sponsors the community-funded portion of 6 counselling sessions for one young person; half of their full program, giving them real momentum toward lasting change.
$1200
Covers the community-funded portion of a young person's full 12-session program; enough time to build trust, grow resilience, and see real change.
How it started
Too many young people in our community are struggling with their mental health while families hit dead ends, long waitlists or support they simply can’t afford.
The Village Youth Foundation was created to change that.
We provide accessible, affordable mental health support for young people and their families, earlier — before things reach crisis point.
For our Founder, Elizabeth Banks, this mission is deeply personal.
Elizabeth first tried to end her life at just 12 years old and knows what it feels like to be young, overwhelmed and without hope.
Today, she wants every young person to know something she desperately needed to hear then:
You are not alone.
There is a village here for you.
And we’re asking our whole community to be part of it.
Refer a young person. Support our work. Be part of their village.
Results
The results of the first year of the foundation give us a powerful glimpse of what can happen when cost and access stop being barriers to care.
44% reduction in psychological distress
Young people began support experiencing, on average, very high levels of psychological distress.
After therapeutic support, their average psychological distress score had reduced by 44%, moving from the very high range to the moderate range.
Behind that number are young people feeling better able to cope, families beginning to breathe again, and hope starting to return.
Parents and carers told us the impact extended well beyond the counselling room.
35% improvement in parent and carer wellbeing.
40% improvement in family relationships.
35% improvement in parents’ ability to manage work and daily life.
That matters to us.
Because we don’t just see a young person in isolation. We see the family around them, too.
For many families, there was nowhere else to go.
When families were asked whether they would have been able to access mental health care for their child without subsidised support, most told us no, probably not, or maybe.
When asked what would have happened instead, common responses included:
“We would have had no support.”
“We would have gone on a waitlist for public health services.”
We don’t believe a family’s bank balance should determine whether a young person gets help.
And we don’t believe they should have to wait until things reach crisis point before support becomes available.
In their words
“This was the first time support felt truly accessible and focused on *child* as a whole person. The changes we’ve seen have gone far beyond what I expected… it has helped our entire family.”
“There simply are not words to express how much The Village and Elizabeth mean to us. You have saved my daughter’s life. I do not say that lightly. If we had not come across Elizabeth and The Village I hate to think where we would be.”
"We tried for a long time to get help and kept hitting barriers like long waitlists, high costs, and services that just didn’t feel right. We feel more hopeful, more supported, and more confident that we can manage the challenges that come up."
This is what your support makes possible
These results come from our first year in opperation.
They show us something important: accessible, relationship-based mental health care can create meaningful change for young people and their families in our region.
With our community behind us, we can make that support available to more young people.
More families reached earlier.
More young people feeling that they belong.
More opportunities to step in before crisis.
Community Investment
The Village Youth Foundation is built on the belief that when a community invests in its young people, it invests in its future.
We're seeking partners;
individuals, businesses and organisations,
who share our commitment to ensuring no young person or family in Baw Baw and the Latrobe Valley is left without timely, affordable mental health care.
Every dollar contributed goes directly toward delivering counselling, family support, and peer connection programs; creating real, measurable change in the lives of local youth.
We have investment options at different tiers, so there's a way for every part of our community to be involved.