A big focus of ours in 2025 is to shine a light on the silent crisis in our remote regions, where young people are more likely to self-harm or die by suicide, yet far less likely to get support.
Last year, zero2hero delivered 20 regional roadshows across all nine WA regions, reaching over 5,000 young people from the Kimberley to the Great Southern with a series of school-based workshops designed to equip young people with help-seeking skills.
So, why the focus on our remote regions?
We believe there needs to be an urgent focus on supporting the country’s most vulnerable, and in WA that includes young people in remote communities who are facing a silent mental health crisis.
We are currently traveling thousands of kilometres to some of WA’s most remote schools to deliver early intervention programs to young people who need it the most. We go to remote schools and see it first-hand. Too many young people in regional WA are being left behind.
Earlier this year, we travelled to the town of Looma in the Kimberley – our most remote delivery yet, with a small population of just over 500 people. This was more than just a visit. With suicide and self-harm the leading cause of disease burden for young people in the Kimberley, our prevention programs are not a luxury – they are a lifeline.
In towns like Tom Price, Karratha, Broome and the Wheatbelt, young people are experiencing higher rates of self-harm and suicide than their city peers, but services are stretched thin.
According to the WA Primary Health Alliance Needs Assessment (2025–27):
• In the Kimberley, youth emergency department presentations for mental health are three times the state average.
• In the Pilbara, suicide is the leading cause of death for 15–24 year olds.
• In the South West, hospitalisations for self-harm among under 25s are above state levels.
• In the Goldfields, young people face the added burden of intergenerational trauma and limited access to services.
Our roadshows play an important role in helping to break down a geographical barrier and give a young person in WA the chance to build resilience, find their voice, and ask for help when they need it most.
Every kilometre we travel, every classroom we step into, proves the same thing. When you give young people the chance to be heard and supported, they thrive.
With the community behind us, we can make sure no young person in WA is left to face their struggles alone.
