Local charity battles national problem

NORTHERN Rivers youth mental health charity Human Nature Adventure Therapy is marking 10 years of supporting young people in the region.

The organisation works with young people with complex needs who are not suited to traditional clinical care.

“We are working with young people who are literally labelled as disengaged, but the reality is the services and systems that are designed to support them are not engaging them where they’re at,” founder and psychologist Andy Hamilton said.

“We have a focus on individual one-on-one support in nature where possible, but basically whatever it will take to engage that young person.

 

“We exist to help young people who are desperately in need of support but are not otherwise engaging with conventional clinical services.

“That’s our point of difference.”

With a team of 16, Human Nature delivers three core programs.

Activ8 provides individual therapy and outdoor mentoring.

Elev8 offers ongoing peer connection through group activities.

The organisation also runs camps that provide immersive skill-building and therapeutic experiences.

“We hear about kids falling through the gaps all the time, and those gaps are nationwide,” Hamilton said.

“The kids end up not going to school and falling off the radar, and because of that, there’s not a lot of focus or funding in that area.

“We can demonstrate strong outcomes with young people who are otherwise ignored, and we have a model that we believe other areas could benefit from.

 

“We’ve been born and bred in the Northern Rivers, but we’re addressing a national issue.”

Demand for the organisation’s programs has grown steadily over the past decade and increased significantly following a series of natural disasters in the Northern Rivers.

“Most people are aware of the challenges young people face in general, and we’re working with a particular cross-section of them,” Hamilton said.

“For many adolescents, their childhood was shaped by cyclones, floods and bushfires, followed by the region’s most recent major disaster.

“It’s going to have a ripple effect for many years to come, and the demand is huge.”

 

An independent study by Charles Sturt University’s Centre for Rural Health Research has validated Human Nature’s relational, nature-based approach as an effective and scalable model for young people in the so-called missing middle.

The organisation is also undergoing accreditation under the National Mental Health Standards as it prepares for government funding.

“We are incredibly proud of our achievements and grateful for the calibre of people who have rallied around this organisation and this cause,” Hamilton said.

For more information or to support the charity, visit humannature.org.au.