#youthgotthis returns for 2021

This event is for people who are passionate about the mental health of young Australians - sharing knowledge, research and lived experiences to improve the mental health of young people through education and empowerment. Accomplished journalist, television presenter and Mental Health Advocate, Jessica Rowe AM, will be back to facilitate this panel discussion and Q&A with guests: Xavier Eales, Dr Rebecca Overton, Dr Ally Nicolopoulos, Kristen Douglas and Dr Emma Barrett.

What is #youthgotthis?

Youth mental health is an issue many of us are passionate about, especially during the global pandemic.

Parents, Emily Cook and Dr Rebecca Overton, and the young people in their lives have seen firsthand the challenges that mental ill health has on young people in their community.

In 2020, they approached Professor Maree Teesson, Director of the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre, to partner in holding an event to educate and empower young Australians and the community that supports them.

The inaugural 2020 #youthgotthis forum was a great success with 1,000+ registrations, 200+ questions from registrants and 600+ households joining the online forum live. Read the key messages and watch the recording to learn more.

We have an exciting line up for 2021 and we hope you can join us!

Jessica Rowe AM

Journalist, Author & TV Presenter

Jessica Rowe is an accomplished journalist, television presenter and three-time bestselling author. Jess is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, having herself experienced post-natal depression. She is an ambassador for beyondblue and a patron of Mental Health Australia. In 2015 Jess was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia for her mental health advocacy work and her contribution to Australian media.

Xavier Eales

#youthgotthis Ambassador

Xavier is 23 years old and has a passion for educating others on the ins and outs of youth mental health, leveraging on his own struggles as a teenager. At the age of 17, Xavier revealed his battle with depression to his peers at St Ignatius’ College, Riverview, in a school-wide address which caught national attention. He has been involved in the cause ever since. Following high school Xavier studied at the University of Sydney and is now a Founding Principal at Barrenjoey Capital Partners.

Dr Rebecca Overton

General Practitioner

Dr Rebecca Overton is a GP who practices in Sydney and is one of founding organisers of #youthgotthis. She gives talks to students as part of the 'GPs in Schools' program, talks to students in schools about mental health and is on the GP Advisory Board for the Black Dog Institute. She practices with an interest in mental health and has noted an increasing number of presentations of young people facing challenges with their mental health since the commencement of the COVID pandemic.

Dr Emma Barrett

NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow & Psychologist, the Matilda Centre

Emma is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Psychologist at the University of Sydney's Matilda Centre. Among her many achievements, Emma is a Fulbright Postdoctoral Scholar and spent a year in the US collaborating with international researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina to lead the development of an integrated treatment for adolescents with co-occurring PTSD and substance use. Learn more about Emma's research at the Matilda Centre.

Dr Ally Nicolopoulos

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Black Dog Institute

Ally is a postdoctoral research fellow at Black Dog Institute currently working on the 'Under the Radar' Project, co-designing a new model of care that reduces the suicidal distress of those that are flying under the radar. Ally enjoys boxing in her spare time and has competed in a number of tournaments.

Kristen Douglas

National Manager & Head of headspace Schools, headspace

Kristen specialises in working with leaders in complex, acute, and high disruption environments, and supports leaders to see through the fog of volatile, uncertain, complex, or ambiguous environments. She has worked closely with school and sector leaders during some of the most distressing, traumatic, and emotionally charged events.