Geelong Cats players Kate Darby and Tanner Bruhn with students at the The Resilience Project event at GMHBA Stadium.

More than 2000 Geelong students, parents and teachers experienced The Resilience Project in action with a series of interactive and engaging live presentations.

Featuring the motivational and energetic The Resilience Project facilitator Martin Heppell, events also featured players from Geelong’s men’s and women’s programs including Amy McDonald, Kate Darby, Mitch Duncan and Tanner Bruhn.

Four Geelong primary schools visited GMHBA Stadium for the interactive sessions, while Western Heights Secondary College hosted events at their school. The suite of events also includes sessions for teachers delivering the program, and parents and carers to foster a sense of community and encourage them to adopt the principles of GEM (Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness) in their daily lives.

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Tanner Bruhn & Martin Heppell Presser | The Resilience Project

Tanner Bruhn and Martin Heppell from The Resilience Project spoke with the media about the Resilience Project workshops happening this week at GMHBA Stadium. Presented by GMHBA

The Resilience Project, powered by GMHBA with support from Geelong Football Club, is a two-year program supporting students from Newcomb Primary School, Whittington Primary School, Lara Primary School, Geelong East Primary School and Western Heights Secondary College, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness.

The partnership between GMHBA and the Cats is a proactive approach to addressing the growing mental health crisis among young people, equipping students with the tools to build positive mental health and resilience.

GMHBA CEO David Greig said the school events created an opportunity for students to come together in a fun environment to kick-start their journey with The Resilience Project.

"We recognise the challenges facing our young people today, and we're committed to supporting their mental health and wellbeing,” he said. “Through this partnership with Geelong Football Club and The Resilience Project, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of these students and their families."

Speaking to media at the launch of the program Cats midfielder Tanner Bruhn echoed Grieg's comments:

"It's a great initiative from Martin (Heppell) and the team with The Resilience Project, we're really keen and eager to be on board," Bruhn said.

"(The program) is about educating kids and the younger age demographic about mental health and the issues that it can have. Coming up with strategies to work through mental health is such a big thing in society today, so we're really looking forward to helping kids with strategies and trying to spread as much positive energy as we can."