2024 will be the 22nd Hawaiian Ride for Youth and the second for myself.
Last year I rode the 700km from Albany to Perth on the Inland Route, passing through towns and communities that I knew well from growing up in the south-west of WA. The passion of the Ride for Youth community was inspiring and matched by the welcome and openness of the schools we visited along the way and the commitment of the Youth Focus regional counsellors. It was great to see first-hand how the funds raised by the Ride provides mental health services for young people in regional WA.
It wasn't how I remember being a teenager in the bush forty years ago. If mental health had been more openly discussed and professional services such as Youth Focus been available, maybe two popular young men from my high school community would not have taken their lives as they did back then. While we have come a long way, the need today for support and services remains high.
Thank you for your encouragement and support for this important cause.
