A charity specialising in telling the stories of Kiwis' mental health journeys is set to launch part two of its newest campaign.
Voices of Hope, which started in 2017, is a platform for New Zealanders of all walks of life to share their experiences - through videos, podcasts, and in-person.
They're kicking off the second round of the successful 'Behind the Jersey' series to educate and normalise conversations about mental health in the context of sport.
Voices of Hope co-founder Genevieve Mora told Newshub she chose 'Behind the Jersey' because the campaign explores the challenges athletes face beyond their sporting world.
"For some people in sport it's the jersey, or the lycra, or it's the helmet, or the uniform athletes wear when playing their sport."
She said the point of the campaign was to highlight who our sportspeople really are, focusing on where they're at today, and what tools helped them.
"Behind their Jersey, regardless of whether they are a sportsperson or not, everyone faces mental health challenges."
"It's raw, real, vulnerable content," she said.
What is 'Behind the Jersey'?
Voices of Hope doesn't offer mental health support services, but instead promotes Kiwis' real-life battles, and the latest 'Behind the Jersey' series aims to keep the conversation going.
This year, those taking part include former All Black captain Kieran Reid, boxer Alrie Meleisea, former basketball player Jack Salt, former All Black Adam Thomson, para shot put champion Tayla Clement, and netball international Maia Wilson.
Mora said Voices of Hope reached out to the six athletes - some who had shown interest last year. "It shows the impact and the need for conversations like this."
She said in a sport-mad country, we need reminders our athletes are also facing their own mental health challenges. "Voices of Hope is a safe space for them to talk openly."
Kiwi athletes are also highly influential, and the impact they can have is "enormous", she said.
Voices of Hope also created resource kits for schools - with videos, activities, questions, and a self-reflection component.
Last September, the first 'Behind the Jersey' series was released in time for Mental Health Awareness Week. Afterwards, many who reached out to Voices of Hope were from the sporting world.
"They could really relate to the content or themes discussed."
Several Kiwi athletes opened up about their journeys, including UFC flyweight star Kai Kara-France, artistic swimmer Fendi Thien, rugby legend Israel Dagg, Olympic cyclist Ellesse Andrews, and Tall Black Tai Wynyard among others.
Mora said Kiwis of all backgrounds and levels of fame commended them and the athletes.
"The feedback was pretty epic," Mora told Newshub. One person captured the feeling well.
"Sharing your journey will help so many people feel less alone and that is something to be so proud of."
"He [Israel] is an absolute legend. He's been one of our biggest cheerleaders since we launched this campaign last year," she quipped.
It was the first time Dagg had shared publicly that he battled depression.
"So to be trusted with a platform he was willing to share that on was such an honour."
Online comments and their impact on mental health
High-profile Kiwi sports stars often cite social media and online abuse as key mental health topics.
"We want them to win as supporters, and when they don't, what we often see is an increase in online bullying and negativity towards them," said Mora.
In June, top rugby referee Ben O'Keeffe was sent a torrent of abuse online after the Super Rugby Pacific final between the Crusaders and the Chiefs.
"Unfortunately, as a union referee at the highest level, I have had to accept and grow accustomed to the post-match vitriol that fans normalise post game," O'Keeffe wrote on Instagram.
Mora said Kiwis "most definitely should" take a look at themselves over posting abusive comments online.
"We've heard from athletes that have been incredibly affected by what's been said [online].
"Often toxic comments - or sometimes private DMs (direct messages) they get that are absolutely horrific." Though they aren't the only ones affected.
"Their parents are seeing these horrible comments about their son or daughter and felt like they couldn't defend them," Mora told Newshub.
"Often it's just some random thing behind a screen. We'd love to get to a point in the world where mental health is spoken about as freely as physical health," she said.
Where did Voices of Hope begin?
Mora told Newshub she and the other Voices of Hope co-founder, Jazz Thornton, failed upon launching the charity for the first time in 2014.
"Both Jazz and I didn't have enough expertise and knowledge in the field to deal with the influx of people reaching out to us. What we realised quickly was the big need for more mental health resources and support - but we didn't have the tools, skills, or structure to support that."
The website was taken down in 2017, but later relaunched with the help of a Jetstar Flying Start grant - while Mora and Thornton were still working full time. But that didn't last long.
"We got to the point where we said if we're going to do this properly, we need to dedicate more time to it." However, a board of trustees is required when starting a charity.
"So we looked at people in our lives that inspire us, from different walks of life, and we asked them to sit on our board."
"That's how it came to be a charity. It was a leap of faith."
She and Thornton had their own personal mental illness struggles as teenagers, she said, but when they went looking for help, there were few resources or places to turn to for hope and inspiration.
She wanted a platform like Voices of Hope "to know we weren't the only ones going through what we were going through". After getting well again, Mora said she and Thornton connected through a mutual friend and put their effort into making Voices of Hope.
"We created what we needed when we were unwell - a place to find hope, to be empowered and inspired through our own or others' struggles."
It's been a busy month for Mora, who released her second book 'Bite Back' last week - but it's well worth the mahi.
"We know that from the messages we receive, and people we interact with, when people share their stories it allows others to feel safe to do the same."
If Voices of Hope had more funds available, Mora said she'd make more impactful content.
"Doing what we're doing, but on a much larger scale." Funds aside, she said the other issues were stigma and shame.
"People worry about judgement. Some people may see it as a personal failure, or a lack of education. A lot of people don't know what mental illness is, or what it means to struggle with it."
Some are worried about confronting their issues, or being taken seriously.
"Will I get help, or am I going to be shut down and continue on as is?"
"It's a complex question."
If you're looking for resources or a list of helplines head to thevoicesofhope.org
Article created in partnership with Voices of Hope.
