INFORMATION KIT
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST By participating in the 2015 Lavan Legal Spin for Youth Focus you are embarking on a rewarding challenge that will help to make a real difference in the lives of thousands of young Western Australians and their families, who are battling with issues associated with suicide, depression and self-harm. Demand for our services continues to grow over the next 12 months our highly qualified, professional counsellors will provide free and unlimited therapeutic counselling services to an estimated 2,000 young people. In addition, more than 12,000 people will take part in one of our educational programs to raise awareness of the issues surrounding youth suicide, depression and self-harm, and to arm them with the tools needed to save lives. Your support of the Lavan Legal Spin for Youth Focus will help us to continue to provide these vital services in the year ahead! Though you may already have some great ideas on how to approach your fundraising, we have assembled this kit to guide you, help you prepare for the ride, and make your fundraising fun and easy. Inside, you ll find information on how to use Everyday Hero to create your own fundraising page, example letters and emails that you can use, along with handy hints on how to attract donations - like using your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to ask your friends, family and colleagues to support you in your fundraising efforts. Thank you for your support of Youth Focus! Together, we can make a difference. Sincerely, Jenny Allen Chief Executive Officer Youth Focus Thank you for your support. Together, we can make a difference! 2
CONTENTS ABOUT YOUTH FOCUS 4 2015 Lavan Legal Spin for Youth Focus 5 Using Everyday Hero 6 Sample Fundraising Email 8 Sample Thank You Email 9 FUNDRAISING TIPS 10 Stretching Exercises for Cyclists 11 3
ABOUT YOUTH FOCUS Youth Focus aims to put a stop to youth suicide. We are a unique independent not for profit organisation that supports vulnerable young people in Western Australia by offering a range of mental health services. Our highly trained team provides early intervention and prevention services free of charge, aimed at supporting young people and their families to overcome the issues associated with suicide, depression and self-harm. Our key services include: Youth Counselling Family Counselling Peer Support Mentoring Training & Education During the current year Youth Focus will provide its free, one-on-one therapeutic counselling services to an estimated 2,000 young people and at the moment, the average length of their counselling relationship is around 22 weeks. We also anticipate that a further 12,000 people will take part in our preventative and educational programs over the same period. Our face-to-face counselling services are unique for 4 key reasons: they are free they are delivered by highly qualified and experienced mental health practitioners there is no time or session limit our support is provided on a needs basis the referral pathway is simple and direct; no formal diagnosis or GP referral is required Our training and education programs aim to: help people identify and deal with potential mental health issues they may be experiencing help people to identify and assist with mental health issues experienced by those around them Our free services are provided in a youth friendly manner and are flexible, needs driven and personalised. Our free services are provided in a youth friendly manner and are flexible, needs driven and personalised. We aim to understand young people and their difficulties within the broader context of their lives which includes family, friends, school and their local community. This understanding acknowledges the effect of past experiences, the significance of current issues and circumstances, and the nature of adolescence as a life stage. We offer our services from our offices located in Burswood, Joondalup, Midland, Rockingham, Bunbury, Albany and Geraldton, from 12 outreach locations and onsite at over 40 WA high schools. Our training and educational programs can also come to your workplace or community group. 4
2015 LAVAN LEGAL SPIN FOR YOUTH FOCUS 30 hours in 30 days Challenge yourself to ride 30 hours in 30 days over the month of April. You could do a full day ride each weekend, or spread it out and ride an hour every day. You can ride the open road, or clock up your hours on an exercise bike at home or in the gym. At the same time we re asking you to seek support from friends, family and work colleagues to fundraise for Youth Focus. Haven t ridden a bike in years? Get back on your bike! If you don t consider yourself a serious cyclist but still want to help out, why not create a team with up to four of your friends or colleagues and share the hours that s an average of just 15 minutes a day each, over the month of April. Plus, you ll be raising money for a great cause. Or if you really want to challenge yourself and your friends Join us on the ECU 30 Straight Challenge! In teams of up to four, you ll kick off at 10am on Saturday, 18 April, take turns and ride through the night to finish at 4pm on Sunday, 19 April. ECU Sports will even provide the spin bikes, plus there will also be family fun all weekend on campus. You can ride the open road, or clock up your hours on an exercise bike at home or in the gym. 5
USING EVERYDAY HERO Fundraising is easy with Everyday Hero. If you haven t already, head to www.everydayhero.com.au/event/2015lavanlegalspinforyouthfocus and create your own fundraising page. Simply click the Start Fundraising button on the top right of the page. On this page you can also see some other fun things. 2 1 3 1 Total funds raised for the event so far, so you can see how your contribution and others are making a real difference. 2 The number of people taking part in the event through Everyday Hero - you re part of a real community of passionate fundraisers! 3 A leaderboard showing the top fundraisers - you could visit their pages and see what they are posting to get ideas. 6
USING EVERYDAY HERO Once you have your Supporter Page you can do a whole number of things to make it exciting and attract people to follow your efforts and donate on your behalf. 1 See your total raised and how far until your target. 1 2 3 2 Share your page on Facebook or Twitter you can share on your Twitter, on your own Facebook timeline, on a friend s timeline or in a group you re a member of. 3 post a profile pic. 4 5 2 6 7 8 4 Add photos, videos or blog about your ride so far you can share these to Facebook or Twitter too! 5 This is where your supporters messages will appear if they choose to leave a message when they donate. 6 Manually track offline donations so that your real total is displayed, not just donations given through Everyday Hero. 7 Join or create a team. 8 Allow your supporters to donate by BPAY or at their local post office. For more ideas, or assistance with your Everyday Hero Supporter page, call us on 6266 4333 or email getinvolved@youthfocus.com.au 7
TEMPLATES TO HELP YOU FUNDRAISE You can use the following examples as a template for approaching family, friends or colleagues for support. Feel free to add your own story or reasons why you support Youth Focus. This will make the letter more personal and catch the attention of your potential supporter. Example Email or Letter requesting support Dear [First Name] Support me as I ride to stop youth suicide! I ve signed on for the 2015 Lavan Legal Spin for Youth Focus. Please support me as I pedal [30/7.5] hours in 30 days, raising funds for Youth Focus, a charity that works with young people, 12-25 years of age, and their families, to overcome issues associated with suicide, depression and self-harm. Youth Focus offers free youth counselling, family therapy and peer support services, as well as community education and training around mental health. During the current year Youth Focus will provide its free, one-on-one therapeutic counselling services to an estimated 2,000 young people, plus a further 12,000 people will take part in their preventative and educational programs over the same period. But they can t do it alone. Youth Focus relies heavily on the generosity of people like you and I in order to be able to deliver their life saving services, so your support and donations are really needed! DID YOU KNOW? More people die as a result of suicide each year in Australia than there are fatalities on our roads Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians 1 in 4 young Australians experience a mental health issue in any year but less than a third seek any help Today, you can make a difference by supporting my ride and making a donation to Youth Focus. Simply [visit/click here] [insert the URL for your Everyday Hero fundraising page so people can click right through to make donations to you]. With grateful appreciation, [Your Name] 8
TEMPLATES TO HELP YOU FUNDRAISE Example thank you letter Dear [First Name] THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I would like to say a big thank you [add to you and the team at company name if applicable] for supporting me in the 2015 Lavan Legal Spin for Youth Focus. I have been touched by the generosity received and want to thank you for donating. The funds raised will enable Youth Focus to deliver its programs to young Western Australians at risk of suicide, depression and self-harm. Your generosity has made this possible. Thanks to your support, Youth Focus will be able to reach more youth and families through innovative programs, including: Youth Counselling Family Counselling Peer Support Mentoring Training & Education For more information please visit www.youthfocus.com.au Thank you once again for supporting my ride and the work of Youth Focus! Together, we are helping to stop youth suicide. 9
FUNDRAISING TIPS Set a fundraising target People will enjoy helping you to reach your goal and you ll get a real kick out of making it there. Tell your story Let people know why you ve chosen to take part and fundraise for Youth Focus it will help them to understand why you think they should donate. Use social media Share your Everyday Hero page on your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account. Send a personal message to your Facebook friends or LinkedIn connections asking them to support your fundraising efforts. Update everyone on your progress Did you know you can add posts and photos to your Everyday Hero page? Why not post about the ways you re clocking up your hours and then share those posts from Everyday Hero on your social media feeds. Make an event of it About to complete your hours? Why not have a bbq or a morning tea to celebrate. You could ask people for a donation to attend. Most of all have fun! The funds raised will enable Youth Focus to deliver its programs to young Western Australians at risk of suicide, depression and self harm. 10
STRETCHING EXERCISES FOR CYCLISTS 1 CALF STRETCH Lean against a wall and place the leg to be stretched backwards with the other in front taking most of the weight Keep the heel of your back foot firmly on the floor with the toe pointing towards the front 3 HAMSTRING STRETCH From your calf stretch, straighten your front leg and lean forward until you can feel a stretch down the back of that leg You can bend your back knee slightly to help you balance Push your hips forward as far as is comfortable to stretch the calf of your back leg 4 QUADRICEPS STRETCH 2 PULLDOWNS: LATS, TRAPEZIUS & TRICEPS STRETCH Lean forward and balance on your bike with your weight resting on the arms Let your head drop deeply between your shoulder blades to create a powerful stretch in your lats and triceps Pulling down with your arms increases the stretch further 5 Grasp your right foot behind your back with your right hand you can balance against your bike or a wall if you need to Gently pull your foot up and away without bending at the waist SQUATS: LOWER BACK STRETCH Hold onto your bike for balance and squat down keeping your heels on the floor Try to lower your backside as close to your heels as possible to maximise the stretch 11
For further information or assistance contact: Haley Hibbitt Business Development Manager Fundraising Youth Focus haley.hibbitt@youthfocus.com.au getinvolved@youthfocus.com.au or (08) 6266 4333