One Eighty uses Pub2Pub to open up about mental health
August 20, 2019
Some members of the 2019 One Eighty Pub2Pub Team (and mascot)
One Eighty is youth mental health care and awareness done differently. It started in Avalon when a bunch of twenty-somethings, angered by losing too many friends to mental illness, decided to do something together to look out for their mates on the beaches.
One Eighty’s vision is for a future free of youth suicide. They believe they can achieve this by getting local communities to band together to provide opportunities to openly discuss mental health and to support those suffering from mental health issues.
“We see the Pub2Pub as an opportunity to do just that”, says One Eighty’s Samantha Callender. “It’s such a great local event with a Sydney-wide profile and of course as everyone knows, exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on those suffering depression and anxiety. It can help to relieve stress, boost your overall mood and help you sleep better…so an event that’s about healthy exercise in our beautiful part of the world is a great fit.”
Organisers of the Pub2Pub, the Rotary Club of Brookvale, decided to make One Eighty one of this year’s preferred charities… meaning it will receive a share of all income from the event with six other worthy causes. And the charity embraced its Pub2Pub partnership, quickly creating a sizeable Team to participate.
“It was remarkably easy”, said Sam. “We put the word out via our Socials and included news of the Pub2Pub on our web site and in our newsletters to supporters and before we knew it, the Team started to grow. Our friends at The Newport came on board and have entered about 20 staff in the Team, while other mates, family members and those we’ve helped through our ‘Open Up’ sessions help make up about half the Team. The other 50% of Team Members come from the local community… people we don’t know personally, but who just want to help.”
At time of writing, Team One Eighty has 77 members, meaning they are well in the running to take out the Top Teams Challenge and win an extra $2,000 for their cause. And they’ll also receive an additional 25% of all entry fees paid for their Team Members for having a Team of 25 or more.
It seems the San Filippo Children’s Foundation Team (currently also on 77) and the Manly Warringah Cricket Team (78) who are raising funds for Avalon Youth Hub are One Eighty’s biggest competitors for the top prize. Sky Personal Training and Fresh Strata – Without A Ribbon round out the Top 5.
“Our aim is to normalise stuff that was once hard to talk about, by talking about it”, says Samantha.
“So if we can use the Pub2Pub to bring about a culture change and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, it will be a wonderful result. Local business Via Financial Group has sponsored Team T-Shirts for us, so we’ll certainly look the part. We’re all really excited and looking forward to taking part in this awesome community event.”
