We congratulate Year 11 Melton Campus student Jonah who was recently recognised as the Youth Champion of the West by the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation.

Jonah's innovative use of community activities, particularly sports, to foster healthy conversations and create safe spaces to boost mental health awareness in teenage boys and men earned him this inaugural award.

A member of our College Elite Sports Academy and Deputy Sports Captain, Jonah is a hockey player with a passion for sports and promoting the importance of safe spaces for men to talk about their mental health.

“Mental health conversations are important to let out emotions and thoughts, whether you are seeking help, feedback, or just having someone to listen to your problems. Bottling feelings leads to anxiety, anger problems, and depression, all of which can spiral into many more negative things,” Jonah said.

“Having someone to listen to you can boost your mood, put things in perspective and reduce the risk of you hurting others around you.

“I find it very easy now to be optimistic about almost anything and to try and help everyone I can, when I can.”

Jonah has played hockey with the Melton Hockey Club since 2019 and has been involved in school leadership since 2021. He has also been involved with the Western Bulldogs Leadership Program at the College and through the club’s Community Foundation.

Among his achievements was coaching the College’s SACCSS junior hockey team to two championship titles.

Jonah said he often used sport as a way to reset and it helped him take a break from the pressures of school and his personal life.

“Sport has always been a thing away from my personal life. It’s a bit of a getaway where I just focus on what I'm doing. It gets my body moving and helps keep me fit,” he said.

With one more year left at SFCC, Jonah is eyeing a career in sports psychology and undoubtedly another SACCSS hockey tournament premiership in 2025!