NATIONAL LGBTI HEALTH ALLIANCE Information

The National LGBTI Health Alliance is pleased to announce the commencement of the Lifeguard Project for Australian communities of gay men. Working with beyondblue and the Movember Foundation, the Alliance will foster a community conversation and educate gay men across Australia in an effort to tackle the alarming rates of depression, anxiety and suicide within this community. The Lifeguard Project will give gay men the confidence, knowledge and skills to become 'Lifeguards' in their social networks, to support themselves, and their partners and friends, if they are struggling. It will do this through a highly interactive online toolkit containing practical strategies, advice and actions. To recognise the diversity of gay identities and communities, the project team will be working closely with gay communities to develop the toolkit, which is expected to be trialled in 2015. The $410,000 project is funded by beyondblue with donations from the Movember Foundation. Research shows that gay men often see their friends struggling with anxiety and depression but lack the confidence to reach out to them. "I saw him struggle with his anxiety and watched helplessly as the depression gradually took hold of him and dragged him down. I wanted to help, but didn't know how. I feared if I spoke about it directly, I would just make it more real for him and make it worse. Having somewhere I could go to learn how to help would have given me the confidence knowing when and how to better support my mate.