WORKING TO INSPIRE

For over a year now, graduate Kerry Graham (MA Mgmt in Community Mgmt, '07), CEO of Inspire Foundation, has been battling to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young Australians.

"At Inspire, we use technology, youth involvement and trusted social brands to attract young people to use and engage with content that improves their mental health and promotes their wellbeing," said Kerry.

"Inspire is driven to take its programs out to every young Australian. That means my primary role is to plan and resource Inspire's scalability. We are currently creating a strategic plan with a 2020 vision and exploring new and exciting ways to generate the resources to take us to scale."

The non-profit has created powerful communication devices, including Reach Out Central (ROC), the world's first online game to help improve young people's mental health. Inspire is also responsible for reachout.com.au and its associated helpline, which provides information, support and resources to improve young people's understanding of mental health issues and how to cope with them.

"I have the incredible privilege of leading one of Australia's most innovative and clever non-profits," said Kerry. "Being a CEO requires a wide breadth of skills. For me, the Masters course was a vital step. I was able to build my skills and directly apply them to my work setting."

To attain goals, Kerry suggests visualising the things you want to achieve. "Describe them to yourself and what they will feel like. That way, you will work towards them faster and know when you get there," she said. "The best advice I ever heard was from Jack Heath, the Founder and Executive Director of Inspire: 'Have a warm heart, clear head and open ears'."

For more information about Inspire, visit www.inspire.org.au.

Photo by Kris Baum