our story

ABOUT

One Eighty was founded in 2017 in response to a number of youth suicides that were occurring on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. In particular, it was the suicides of two young men - both of whom were in one of the co-founders cohort from the local high school - that catalysed the creation of the organisation.

Knowing that suicide is preventable, Paris Jeffcoat and Samantha Callender teamed up, and have been running the organisation together since 2017. The young founders have a vision for a future free of youth suicide.

Run by young people, for young people

What was also clear to us, was that young people needed greater representation in the mental health sector. There needed to be a clear, youth voice, that agitated for change and worked with existing services to ensure available help was accessible and engaging for a diverse range of young people.

One Eighty fills this gap in Australia's current suicide prevention strategy. The organisation is leading the way for peer to peer models of community support, is raising the profile of exceptional existing services, and is reimagining what youth engagement in the NFP sector looks like.

Youth mental health done differently

At the time of founding the organisation, we weren’t really sure what this meant - or what this would look like - but we instinctively knew that something just wasn’t right with the way young people were interacting with mental health services. There was a clear stigma around mental illness and help seeking, and a distinct lack of services in the local area - the nearest headspace was over an hour away.

WHAT WE DO

One Eighty’s vision is for a future free of youth suicide.

To achieve this, we’re taking a grass roots, bottom-up approach, with a focus on prevention and early intervention. We work closely with the community, empowering people to make small but meaningful contributions to the prevention of youth suicide. Local fundraising efforts involving sports clubs or small businesses generate awareness for youth mental health and funds that go straight back into our programs. This local model, on a national scale, boosts morale and can affect real change.

WHY WE DO IT

Because suicide is preventable.

THE DETAILS

One Eighty is listed (and has a public fund listed) on the register of Harm Prevention Charities with the Australian Dep. of Social Services. One Eighty holds Deductible Gift Recipient Status - 1 (DGR-1).

Like legal jargon? Read our constitution here and see all official One Eighty documentation here.