SOCIAL MEDIA STARS, ACTIVISTS AND SPORTSPEOPLE PARTNER WITH GROUND-BREAKING PROGRAM TO HELP STUDENTS DECODE MENTAL HEALTH

Female founder-led digital studio Matterworks has launched Decode Mental Health and Wellbeing, a ground-breaking video-led education program delivered on Education Perfect’s online platform that leverages leading content creators, activists and sportspeople to engage students and teachers in educational discussions on topics of mental health.

Aimed at students from Year 5 to Year 8, Decode is presented by popular content creator and Tik Tok sensation Jasmine TXO, alongside some of Australia’s most inspiring and engaging content creators, sports people and change-makers. Each video episode contains energetic explanations, insightful interviews and fun-filled games, covering topics such as how to talk about mental health, understanding how the brain develops during puberty, building resilience to move past adversity and creating safe spaces to discuss sensitive topics.

Developed and delivered in partnership with Education Perfect, ANZ’s leading EdTech company, and powered by evidence-based research from Raising Children's Network and global leader in children’s health research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Decode takes life changing health information and translates it into a digestible format. Careful lesson design sees these entertainment-style videos incorporated into structured and curriculum-aligned lessons to deliver strong learning outcomes.

Research from founding partner and ongoing collaborator, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute shows that there is a significant mental health problem in our schools, with 63% of children aged 5-14 years experiencing a worsening of their mental health since returning to school post COVID19.

“Schools are currently facing a mental health crisis, with 14% of 4–17-year old’s living with a diagnosable mental health condition. It’s critical to start the process of building student’s mental health literacy from a young age so they feel armed with knowledge and tools to build resilience. Decode has been designed to do exactly that, using content creators with lived experiences who can deliver authentic messaging in language students understand – it’s for young people by young people,” said Professor Harriett Hiscock, Murdoch Children’s Group Leader, Health Services, and Matterworks Chief Health Officer.

Decode also offers a bespoke program for teachers which guides them through different facets of adolescent mental health and how to best support them. Developed by wellbeing teachers for teachers, these include understanding moods and behaviours in adolescents, recognising and understanding trauma, how to manage cyberbullying and how to create a gender inclusive school environment.

Alex Burke, Chief Executive of Education Perfect, is a passionate advocate and has thrown his organisation’s support behind Decode.

“The research from Murdoch Children’s is clear; student mental health and wellbeing is this generation’s crisis and presents not only a barrier to learning, but a worrying trend. An overwhelming 85% of teachers aren’t confident teaching students about managing their mental health and wellbeing, and there is a clear need for credible resources that enable teachers to support students. Students who experience mental health concerns are more likely to fall behind in their learning outcomes so acting now has a lasting impact on not only their education, but their future wellbeing.”

Matterworks founders Kylie Robertson and Sarah Wyse hope Decode will become a leading source of health literacy.

“Our vision with Decode is to focus on prevention rather than intervention and in order to do that, we need to build mental health literacy in children and adolescents. With schools currently facing a mental health crisis, we hope to be a constructive and credible resource to improve the wellbeing of Australia’s youth,” said Sarah Wyse, Matterworks Co-Founder.

Decode Mental Health and Wellbeing is now available to primary and secondary schools nationally via Education Perfect.