About us
At UrVoice Australia, we think it’s time for change. We think it’s time for students to not have to choose academic excellence or mental wellbeing. We think it’s time for students to be able to speak out against the issues they are facing in life. We believe that everyone should have a platform to speak up and speak out; and that’s what we’ll continue to do.
Our Story
UrVoice Australia is a not-for-profit organisation based on the Central Coast, NSW.
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After founder, Jayden Delbridge, faced his own experience with losing someone to suicide in 2013, he decided that it's time to stand up.
We aim to help students with early intervention and education in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. We aim to allow every student a platform to reach out and use their voice for help.
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For us, secondary school students are of most concern to us because between 2015-2018, 1245 people aged 15-24 took their own lives. We feel this number is far too many.
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Also contributing, adolescence is one of the hardest stages of someone's life. We know this because half of all the mental health conditions we experience at some point in our lives will have started by age 14, and over 75% of mental health problems occur before the age of 25.
For us, secondary school students are of most concern to us because between 2015-2018, 1245 people aged 15-24 took their own lives. We feel this number is far too many.
Also contributing, adolescence is one of the hardest stages of someone's life. We know this because half of all the mental health conditions we experience at some point in our lives will have started by age 14, and over 75% of mental health problems occur before the age of 25.
We feel that the added stress of the school system doesn’t do teenagers any favours, and there’s no communication between students and faculty. Almost one-fifth of all young people aged 11 to 17 experience high or very high levels of psychological distress, yet for most schools there is no defined reporting platform for students to voice their concerns, that’s where we come in.
We feel that the added stress of the school system doesn’t do teenagers any favours, and there’s no communication between students and faculty. Almost one-fifth of all young people aged 11 to 17 experience high or very high levels of psychological distress, yet for most schools there is no defined reporting platform for students to voice their concerns, that’s where we come in.
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We exist because we believe that there is a gap in the market in school wellbeing management systems.
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We know that teenagers are the least likely to seek professional help, with only 31% of young women and 13% of young men with mental health problems having sought any professional help, yet there is a distinct lack of communication between students, parents, and teachers.
The staggering statistics of teenage mental health issues begs the question, why are students forced to choose education over their own mental health? That's what we aim to do.
We aim to support schools and help them manage mental health and wellbeing issues. We do this by helping students speak up, and voice concerns about their own wellbeing, as well as their peers. This is achieved through our flagship program called Speak Out @ School, a platform to help students report wellbeing issues 24/7, through a digital platform, allowing schools to understand a student’s circumstances.
This is the first of its kind. It helps students, parents, and teachers stamp out bullying, reduce the stigma of mental health, and work together in harmony to push through issues a student is facing in life.
Our mission
UrVoice Australia strives to ensure all teenagers feel safe and supported in schools by equipping students to speak up about their mental health and wellbeing.
Our vision
Our vision is to create a schooling system that promotes effective educational wellbeing and allows students to comfortably discuss mental health, so they can reach their full potential.