By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
PRERNA Diksha sees herself as an agent of change.
And she will continue to encourage others to be the same.
The youth ambassador from Headspace Knox called on the 200-odd guests who attended Saturday’s Mental Health forum at Westfield Fountain Gate, convened by Holt MP Anthony Byrne, to help instigate positive change in the mental health sector.
Prerna has been focused on helping those in need since her younger brother died by suicide in 2011.
“It literally came out of the blue, I had no idea it was coming – none of our family members, none of our friends, no-one in the community who knew him,” Prerna told those at the forum.
“None of his school teachers ever had any idea this was going to happen and it was a shock to the system.
“He was talented, he was smart, he was a popular child who loved people.
“And when people like that do something as drastic as suicide, that’s when we start to question our society. Where are we and what’s going wrong and why are people doing the things that they’re doing?”
“The fact that we’re in this room today is a testament to the fact that we know as a community that we care, we recognise that mental health is a massive problem in this country today.”
Following her brother’s death, Prerna engaged her local MP Alan Tudge and with the help of other volunteers organised a petition for a Headspace facility to be set up in Knox, garnering over 10,000 signatures.
The facility opened in April 2013 and is a valued community space in the region.
Prerna on Saturday joined Professor Patrick McGorry’s call for people to help support the new Australians for Mental Health campaign launched at the forum.
“The idea behind the whole campaign that Pat’s run is to get every single one involved,” she said.
“It’s a crowdfunded social campaign, it’s a social campaign where everyone recognises there’s a problem and everyone gets behind it and that is when true social change is effected on a local, state and national level.”
She reiterated this sentiment through echoing the words of Mahatma Gandhi.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world and until that point resonates with each and every single one of us, nothing’s going to be accomplished,” Prerna said.
Those who need immediate assistance or need to talk to someone they can trust can visit beyondblue.org.au, call Suicide Helpline Victoria on 1300 651 257 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
