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Let’s be there for each other

9th October, 2022

If you are struggling with your mental health and you need to talk to someone, reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or trained professional.

Cotton On Foundation is not a provider of mental health support services or guidance. If you feel you are in need of mental health support, please visit https://findahelpline.com/ who have identified over 1,600 free and confidential support resources available over phone, text or web chat.

Let’s be there for each other.

Cotton On Foundation is going BIG in our support of promoting positive mental health outcomes, guided by the experts who know best.

As part of our commitment to our Mental Health pillar, we want to ensure every young person has someone to turn to – that good mental health is woven into the fabric of our communities and becomes a culture within school and workplace environments.

That’s why together, we’re working with the experts who are training and providing practical tools to friends, family members and professionals so that they can be there to support the mental health of young people across the globe.

Why do we need to take action for mental health?

  • Over 1 billion people around the world are living with a mental health disorder
  • 50% of the mental disorders present in adulthood had developed by the age of 14 and 75% have developed by the age of 24
  • Due to the pandemic, there has been a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety & depression worldwide

Meet the partners working to support mental health: 

With the support of our team and customers, the Foundation has committed $1.5 million over the past 12 months to some incredible organisations working to support the mental health of young people around the world.

LifeChanger: 

LifeChanger are an Australian foundation working to maximise the potential of all young people by providing the resources, skills, education and pathway they need to develop a positive self-identity to live their best life. In the past 12 months, over 10,000 young people have been reached through school-based mental health prevention programs!

Strong Brother Strong Sister:

Strong Brother Strong Sister is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated organisation founded on Wadawurrung land (the home of the Cotton On Group).

We’re thrilled to be partnering with this amazing organisation, to help them strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s connection to culture and sense of belonging, and improve their social and emotional health and wellbeing. In the past 12 months, 239 Aboriginal young people have been supported with access to psychosocial services, including one-on-one mentoring, youth groups and suicide prevention support on Wadawurrung Country.

Khanyisa: 

Khanyisa Inanda Seminary Community Projects, or simply Khanyisa, is a South African organisation dedicated to inspiring and growing well equipped teachers. In the past 12 months, they have empowered and upskilled 130 teachers through social emotional learning training and workshops. Khanyisa believes in empowering teachers, teacher interns and leaders with personal and social competence through blending emotional and social intelligence principles and in particular developing the practices of reflection, resilience, developing habits of mind and relationship building.

Kacoon:

Kacoon Foundation, based in South Africa, offers psychosocial support to families. In the past 12 months, they have worked at Dr JL Dube High School and Ethekwini Primary School – both supported by Cotton On Foundation – to support 33 students and 13 parents with access to psychosocial support.

Beyond Blue:

Beyond Blue provides support and information for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention for everyone in Australia. In FY22, Supre Foundation has committed over $360,000 to help more people get access to free mental health support.

Supre Foundation’s support for the Beyond Blue Support Service has helped more than 7,700 people access counselling, advice and referrals at no cost.

Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand:

Since 2019 Cotton On Group has been the official retail partner for Pink Shirt Day, the nationwide campaign against bullying run by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. Pink Shirt Day reaches more than 2,700 schools and kura each year, providing free information, resources and classroom activities that help prevent bullying. That’s 80% of all kura kaupapa, primary, intermediate and secondary schools, and tertiary institutions!

89% of respondents to a post-event survey said Pink Shirt Day helped their school’s ongoing efforts to prevent bullying and create positive cultural change.

Beyond working with these amazing partners, Cotton On Foundation has been working on programs within the schools it supports across the globe, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and mental health support for students with Cotton On Foundation provided scholarships.

SEL:

Teachers and students at Cotton On Foundation supported schools across the globe are being trained in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through a series of fun lessons and activities!

SEL training helps people learn the skills and resilience they need to be the best version of themselves, and to effectively manage their emotions, mental health, behaviours, and relationships.

In the last 12 months, over 32,800 students have been supported through the SEL program.

Pathways program:

During lockdowns due to COVID, students supported with university and vocational scholarships expressed a need for additional mental health support. The Cotton On Foundation team in Uganda responded by hosting virtual sessions with a qualified psychologist, focused on supporting the students.

Ten sessions were facilitated, attended by an average of 30 young people each time.

What next?

This is just the beginning.

As part of our commitment to mental health, we will be there to support 10 million young people with their mental health by 2030.

  • We will focus our effort on programs that support young people now and for future generations.
  • We will increase access to community based prevention programs and support for young people, globally.
  • We will partner with more professionals, organisations and experts with lived experience across the globe, at a local level.
  • We will use our platforms to contribute to ongoing efforts to reduce stigma around mental health.
  • We will mobilise our global team, customers, partners (both existing and new partners we can’t wait to collaborate with) to be part of the approach and solution.

We have only just begun our journey focusing on mental health, and are committed to listening and learning to make the best difference we can.