Initiative Australia support youth mental health charity batyr with pro-bono campaign

Initiative Australia has partnered with youth mental health charity Batyr to support its annual fundraising challenge, Splash the Stigma. 

Driving this year’s Splash the Stigma challenge is batyr’s goal to prevent young people from reaching the point of crisis. Tragically, suicide remains the leading cause of death of young people in Australia, and rates of psychological distress have increased in the last decade.

The annual fundraiser, a drive to "turn the tide on mental health," kicks off this month, returning for its fifth year. batyr is also partnering again with cult swimwear brand Budgy Smuggler and Swimming Australia.

Initiative secured free media spots across a selection of media channels in a bid to drive awareness and encourage consumers to sign up for the challenge.

Media partners include Nine, Seven West Media, Paramount, Nova, ARN, ATN, JCDecaux, Alliance Outdoor Media Group, oOh!Media, Workplace Media, Val Morgan Outdoor, Tonic Media, Motio, The Media Shop, Pedestrian Group, Are Media, News Corp, Playground XYZ, and Concrete Playground.

Initiative’s Olivia Coxon, senior partnerships executive, said, "Supporting the Splash the Stigma campaign in 2024 is a chance for us to meaningfully contribute to the worthy cause of youth mental health. We were blown away by how enthusiastic the industry was about helping batyr.

"With the media community’s generosity, batyr will be able to continue to deliver their life-changing in-school and in-uni education programs, helping our young people to better understand and look after their mental health."

In recent news, Initiative Melbourne has appointed Steph O’Donnell as head of investment, joining Melbourne’s Senior Leadership Team and reporting directly to chief partnerships and innvestment officer Paige Wheaton.

O’Donnell will be tasked with crafting and leading the investment product across the entire investment ecosystem, leveraging the agency’s strengths and products to create value for clients.

See also: Initiative Melbourne welcomes Steph O’Donnell as head of investment