A young Bairnsdale advocate has helped bring regional voices to the national stage, taking part in a high-profile mental health workshop attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Melbourne last week.
Emily Seager was among 16 youth advocates selected from regional and rural communities across Australia to participate in the two-day forum hosted by batyr.
The workshop, titled Regional & Rural
Youth Voices: Shaping the Future of Mental Health, focused on the unique challenges facing young people outside metropolitan areas.
Participants travelled from across the country to share their lived experiences, explore solutions and contribute ideas aimed at improving access to mental health support in regional communities like East Gippsland.
Emily’s involvement ensured Bairnsdale and the broader region were represented in discussions highlighting the gaps in services, longer wait times and added stigma often experienced in rural areas.
The Duke and Duchess joined the group for a roundtable session, listening as young people presented personal stories through visual storytelling and open discussion. The Duchess spoke candidly about her own experiences with online abuse, describing herself as “the most trolled person in the world”, drawing a direct link to the growing impact of cyberbullying on youth mental health.
batyr chief executive Patrick Darcy said the event was an important step in ensuring regional voices help shape future policy.
“We say mental ill-health doesn’t discriminate, but for young people in regional and rural Australia it does,” he said.
Despite youth suicide rates being significantly higher in regional and remote areas, services remain limited, with young people often facing higher costs and fewer support options compared to their metropolitan counterparts.
The workshop aimed to address that imbalance, with participants like Emily contributing to recommendations that will be put forward to government and key decision-makers.
batyr is now calling for increased investment in preventative mental health programs, arguing that early intervention — particularly in regional communities — is critical to reducing pressure on crisis services and improving long-term outcomes.
For Emily, the experience provided a rare opportunity to ensure the challenges faced by young people in Bairnsdale were heard at the highest level, as national attention turns toward closing the mental health gap between city and country Australia.
