When former teacher Rachel Downie lost a year 9 student to suicide, she decided to find a way to support young people to speak up when things aren’t right. She discovered students often felt too frightened to come forward with possible life-saving information because of peer expectations.

This led Rachel to develop and self-fund Stymie – an old-fashioned word for stop – to allow students to anonymously report harm without fear.

Rachel is the 2020 QLD Australian of the Year, and she shared with Sam & Duncan tips on how to encourage teenagers to say something.

Need Support?

• If you or someone you know is struggling or needs a compassionate listening person to talk to, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Australia’s Suicide Callback Service, on 1300 659 467.