Latest news with #BlueTreeProject
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sad reality revealed as trees turn blue across Australia: 'Confronting'
Australia's mental health crisis is one many have experienced firsthand, and now a striking campaign is aiming to help spark important conversations in a visible and unexpected way. The Blue Tree Project is a national initiative that encourages communities to paint dead trees blue as a visual reminder to reduce stigma around mental health and suicide. Launched in Western Australia in 2019, the grassroots movement has since grown into a global symbol of support and awareness. In the ACT, the project is backed by the territory government, which recently called on locals to "start important discussions that could make a real difference". Last Thursday, the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing hosted a tree-painting event in Acton to launch Canberra's Tree Week. "Openly talking about mental health can reduce stigma, shift outdated attitudes, and create safer spaces where people can seek help without judgment," said Gabrielle from the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing. "It's great to see so many people come together to create a more open, supportive community where mental health is recognised and talked about." The ACT Government said the initiative is successfully sparking the kinds of mental health conversations it set out to promote. "When someone asks 'Why is that tree blue?' it can lead to meaningful discussions that help reduce stigma," a spokesperson told Yahoo News, adding that the aim is to create "safer spaces where people can seek help without fear of judgment." They said the community response has been 'overwhelmingly positive', with feedback coming from a diverse range of Canberrans — including students, tradespeople, public servants, and retail workers. "Many have said the trees offer a sense of connection, visibility, and hope, reminding people they are not alone in their mental health journey." There are currently several Blue Trees across the ACT, including three painted by the government in Lyons, Holt and Acton, with more planned. The government said it continues "to identify suitable locations for future trees", and encourages the public to view the full list online. Only non-living trees are painted, following environmental and cultural assessments. Trees are chosen for their visibility, and non-toxic paint is used to "ensure environmental safety." The Blue Tree Project was founded by CEO Kendall Whyte, who started the organisation a year after losing her brother to suicide in 2018. "Like many initiatives, there will always be people who don't connect with our cause and mission," she previously told Yahoo. "However, the support over the last six years has been overwhelmingly positive." With suicide the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 49, according to ABS data, the group now runs workshops and collaborates with corporate partners to better equip people to have difficult but vital conversations. 📱 Sad trend among Aussie kids each day from 4pm 💰 Crowds on city streets reveal number of Aussies who 'just can't afford to live' ⛺️ Locals upset after council's 'traumatising' act towards 'adored' rough sleeper "Outdated attitudes are still deeply ingrained across Australia, which is preventing many from seeking support," Kendall said. "Education is crucial, not only in shifting old attitudes, but also in upskilling ourselves to have the harder and more confronting conversations in life." The idea of painting trees began with a joke her late brother once played by painting a tree on the family's Western Australian property to surprise their dad. Today, more than 1,300 registered blue trees — all dead trees known as stags — have become symbols of hope around the world. "There is now a blue tree on every continent of the world — making us a global movement," Kendall you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- ABC News
Brooke McIntosh eyes running record as she laps Australia for Blue Tree Project
"Just one more breath, just one more day and just one more conversation" is the mantra Brooke McIntosh repeats to herself as she edges closer to becoming the fastest woman to run continuously around Australia. The 29-year-old entrepreneur has been running at least 80 kilometres a day — the equivalent of about two marathons — since she left her home town of Perth on March 3. She is on a mission to complete a 14,080km lap of the country in 180 days while raising $1.4 million for mental health charity the Blue Tree Project. Ms McIntosh has already crossed the Nullarbor, been through Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and is weaving through the Illawarra until she reaches Sydney's Coogee Beach by late Wednesday. "It's beautiful out here," Ms McIntosh told ABC Illawarra Breakfast while running through Wollongong on Tuesday. Deborah De Williams was the first woman to complete a non-stop run of Australia, finishing the 18,026km journey in 408 days. Ms McIntosh is hoping to crush that record, as well as a Guinness World Record, by completing the feat with no full rest days. She will have run for almost 70 consecutive days by the time she reaches Sydney but says her body is well-adjusted. "The first four weeks was like, 'What are you doing to me?'" Ms McIntosh said. "[Now] it's like, 'This is what we're doing — running around Australia to raise awareness about mental health every day.'" In 2022, Nedd Brockmann burst into the public consciousness by running the width of Australia from Perth to Bondi. He clocked up 3,800km in 47 days and raised $2.5 million for homelessness charity Mobilise. What Ms McIntosh has set out to achieve is another level of endurance at almost five times the distance and duration. But like Brockmann she finds great pride in pushing her body to the limit. "It's insane, but for me, it's all just one more step or conversation," Ms McIntosh said. Ms McIntosh has grappled with mental health challenges from a young age and chose to become an advocate following a near-fatal truck accident three years ago. "I just don't want anyone to experience the depths of darkness alone," she said. "I believe if we have courage to have just one more conversation, we realise that a problem shared is a problem halved and that the world is a beautiful place." The Blue Tree Project is an initiative that aims to encourage people to have tough conversations about mental health. The charity has painted more than 1,300 trees bright blue as a symbol for change. Ms McIntosh said she had received a great response during the run. "Some people just pull over on the highway for a quick yarn … the community [support] is insane," she said. After she rests her feet overnight in Sydney, Ms McIntosh will continue her journey into Queensland and the Northern Territory before arriving back in Perth by late August.
