We chat with local board member Tom Keft about all the incredible things this social connection movement is doing for mental health issues.
Line & Length is an inspiring movement dedicated to promoting men’s mental health awareness through social connections and community events.
We met Tom, a friendly local, who’s part of the team at Line & Length and is passionate about support and strategies for gaining and maintaining good mental health and the conversations that come with it.
After our chat with Tom, we were totally inspired and we know you will be too once you get stuck in.
Let’s go.
1 :: Hi Tom! So, how did Line & Length begin?
Tom: It was started by a group of mates including myself who all went to university in Bathurst together. After university one of our friends, Luke went through a tough time and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Because of his experience, he decided to organise the first Line & Length Cup. I think about 30 mates showed up for that first cricket day and it’s just grown ever since, we’ve run cups all around NSW and in the NT since.
2 :: Wow! And what is Line & Length all about?
Tom: Line & Length is a mental health, social connection movement. Our purpose is to create conversations that save lives. We want to drive generational change by using social connections and education to address the stigma surrounding mental health conversations.
It’s important to normalise the conversation surrounding mental ill health and promote health help-seeking behaviours to reduce Australia’s climbing suicide rates.
3 :: That’s such an important mission! And you have a few different ways you do this, is that right?
Tom: Yeah! We have our cricket cup events that are awesome. The cups are a great way to catch up with old mates and make some new ones and also celebrate our Aussie sporting culture whilst promoting mental health awareness.
The cups are a way for men to share their personal stories in a safe space and talk about mental hardships they’ve had and also strategies they use and their personal mental health tips.
The analogy I like to use for the cricket cups is like when a bunch of sports players get together and share stories about their physical injuries and how they treated them by getting support and help, it’s the same but with our mental health. It’s about normalising conversations where people can openly say they talked to a psychologist or felt down, without feeling anxious about it. It’s about maintaining good mental health habits and creating a supportive environment.
The cups are also one of the ways we raise funds for the Mental Health First Aid opportunities we have as well.
4 :: Can you tell us more about Mental Health First Aid opportunities
So far, we’ve managed to help 35 young men through mental health first aid courses, we’d love to get that number to 100 in the next 24 months.
The mental health courses are some of the most worthwhile training I’ve ever done. They cover things like how to approach a mate if you think they may be experiencing mental ill health, or you are concerned about them. All the way to asking someone if they’re suicidal, and how you should respond based on how they answer.
They’re all about communicating non-judgmentally and empathetically and it’s not just for chatting with folks at crisis point but also just through regular conversations as well.
5 :: Wow, what an incredible movement to be a part of.
Tom: It sure is. At the cups, there’s just so much empathy and respect. We have such a range of people and stories and when they share everyone listens. Folks will talk about different things like depression and anxiety, but also issues with gambling and alcohol and other stresses in their lives.
It’s the things you might not have known about if they hadn’t had a chance to speak up and share. Those conversations not only bring people closer but also give a chance for others to share strategies and support which in turn lets them add a few more tools to their mental health toolkit.
We’re also really proud of our MATES action plan.
6 :: And what is the MATES action plan?
We developed an acronym called MATES which is basically our Line & Length mental health action plan for how to have a conversation with someone who is experiencing ill mental health or that you might be concerned about. It’s not about diagnosing or treating mental illness, it’s just about the safe steps you can take to have that chat with a mate. We also developed resources that go with the action plan, and we’ve presented them at high schools and uni groups too.
The action plan is on our website and we encourage folks to read through it.
7 :: And how else can locals get involved?
You can join us at a Line & Length Cup across NSW and the NT. Keep an eye out on our
socials and website for the next dates.
Donations can be made via our website with that money going directly into funding those
Mental Health First Aid courses.
You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram and reach out to us there, we’re always looking for individuals and groups to sponsor through those courses so if that interests people, then we’d love to hear from them.
Thanks for yakking with us today, Tom, we’ve really enjoyed it!
We love how Line & Length is creating safe spaces for open conversations about mental health and offering practical support. We also love that they are making an impact in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.
If you’re interested in joining Line & Lengths efforts, attending a cup event, or supporting their programs, be sure to check out their website and follow them on socials.