When Taylor met Meghan: Youth mental health brought to royal attention

Four Geelong ambassadors have brought the needs of regional young people to the attention of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Taylor Morrison, Amber Morris, Allegra Lloyd and Mackenzie Sinclair joined with 12 other ambassadors over a two-day workshop to address the challenges faced by rural and remote young people being left behind by a crisis-driven mental health system.

What they didn’t expect was to present those ideas directly to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Morrison took part in a national youth mental health workshop through her work at Cotton On.

The 24-year-old said it was vital to involve young people in mental health conversations early and often, with many facing added pressures linked to technology.

“We spent a lot of time discussing what the challenges are and how issues look slightly different to metro locations, with real emphasis on things like accessibility of services,” Morrison said.

“We feel in regional and remote locations that often support isn’t available until a crisis happens.

“We want to see more preventative action and conversations before we reach crisis point and more investment in regional and remote communities early so that we don’t land at a crisis.”

After a day of workshopping and knowledge sharing, Morrison said the group had no idea the Duke and Duchess would attend, with the pair arriving to present on their non-profit Archewell Philanthropies.

Beyond the “pinch me” moment, Morrison said it was reassuring to know their concerns were being heard on a broader stage.

“It felt so meaningful and so genuine,” Morrison said. “Our voices were heard by people that can make a real difference.

“It was the most exceptional experience, and they were just so down to earth, so real and heard so much about what we had to say and wanted to do something about it.”

Morrison said the Duchess spoke candidly about her own experience with online trolling, touching on both mental health and mental fitness.

Despite their status, she said both Harry and Meghan made it clear the focus was on the young people in the room.

“I think what made this so special and so successful was that it was framed up that we were the VIPs in the room, that it was young people sharing their voices about the challenges that we experience with mental health, and the stigma and the pressure that exists in everyday life,” Morrison said.

“It was genuinely about the change, and I really felt like we were talking to people, that this wasn’t falling on deaf ears – what we said was absolutely going to be taken and considered.”

The workshop was facilitated by preventative youth mental health organisation batyr.