On Thursday 22nd April, Kiama High launched a program called Stymie, which Makuta is very proud to be funding.

This program speaks to everything Makuta represents – prevention – to stop the cycle of harm and abuse in its tracks early.

The anonymous online notification system can be used by any students in the school who are experiencing issues such as bullying, cyber-bullying, witnessing illegal activity, harassment or self harm.

The outstanding presenter, Michael Jeh, was so captivating, he had the students in the assembly hall fixated on every word.

He spoke about the most important first step…to reduce the stigma associated with reaching out for help.

The key message for the day was…”if you see something, or hear something, #saysomething Don’t wait until it’s too late”.

The tool is ingenious as it encourages kids not to be silent bystanders, and to have the courage to speak out.

Stymie founder and 2020 Queensland Australian of the Year Rachel Downie refers to it as a tool that enables “harm reporting without fear”.

Kiama High Year 10 student, Lara Farrell, also on our very own Makuta Advisory Board, was at the launch on Thursday.

She spoke with Illawarra Mercury about her thoughts on the program’s implementation.

“We’ve had a lot of suicides over the past year. I’m hopeful this program will really help those students who need help.”

Students can go to the website stymie.com.au and that is where they can make an anonymous notification that goes straight through to the school principal and school leaders, who have been trained to respond accordingly.

Makuta is so proud to be part of the implementation of this tool, as we strongly believe this platform will give Kiama High greater insights into the challenges and problems teenagers are facing.

It also demonstrates the commitment Principal Catherine Glover and the school’s wellbeing team have for prioritising their student’s mental health and well-being.

Kiama High…Thank you!