Sometime predawn on the road to Sydney International Airport in April 2014, Stephen Spencer proclaimed to his close mates, Ben and Craig – “I have an idea and I need your help”. Over the following 10 days while surfing in the idyllic and remote Mentawais Island chain, the seeds of EquiEnergy Youth were planted.
After more than a decade of mental health nursing, Stephen was driven to make his new evidence-based approach available to everyone, rather than those only presenting at the local Hospital he worked. That way, adults would be better equipped to support young people in their care through distressful times and reduce the
frequency and longevity of episodes of distress and by doing so, mental health outcomes in our communities could be significantly improved.
Enter Ben and Craig with their organisational experience and qualifications. What a rare opportunity it was for three best mates to build something together that can make such a positive impact on people’s lives in the communities we live and play our part in fixing our country’s youth mental health crisis.
