Zurich and OnePath renew support for Mr Perfect mental wellbeing BBQs
Zurich Financial Services Australia and OnePath Life have renewed their 12-month partnership with Mr Peferct, the grassroots men’s mental wellbeing network encouraging conversation and connections through informal BBQs across Australia.
Now in their fourth year of partnership, Zurich and OnePath Life have supported Mr Perfect to expand to more than 40 locations in most states and territories around the country. The funding also enabled Mr Perfect to quickly scale up online services and support, in place of in-person meetups during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Zurich Financial Services Australia’s Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Linda Griffin said Zurich and OnePath Life were committed to improving accessibility of mental wellbeing programs in the community.
“New research into Australia’s mental health emergency by the Centre for Social Impact shows that prevention and early intervention represent our best tools for supporting mental wellbeing1,” Ms Griffin said.
“It’s our hope and strong belief that through participation in community programs like Mr Perfect, fewer Australians will reach a point of crisis in their mental health. We’ve seen firsthand through the various mental wellbeing programs we support that community-based programs serve a tremendous role. We are inspired by people like Terry Cornick, Mr Perfect’s founder, for the work they do to lift up their communities and fellow Australians.”
Mr Perfect founder Terry Cornick said awareness of mental health and wellbeing had improved among men in the five years since he started the program.
“When we first started Mr Perfect, even getting men to turn up was a challenge, let alone talk about their mental wellbeing,” Mr Cornick said.
“That’s no longer the case. Our average attendance at BBQs has gone from five to more than 20 and people are more willing to open up. What we’re offering is a soft entry point into mental health awareness and support. It’s our hope that men come to our BBQs, have a meaningful conversation with someone they can relate to, and later reflect on whether they need to consider taking the next step in addressing their own mental health concerns.”
The partnership is in line with Zurich and OnePath Life’s mission to be champions of mental wellbeing in Australia by supporting early intervention and practical behavioural change.
Among the community programs that Zurich supports are: Tackle Your Feelings, delivering mental health training at community AFL clubs, The Raise Foundation, a youth mentoring organisation, and Beyond Empathy, an arts organisation that uses its influence to enrich the lives of indigenous youth.
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1 Centre for Social Impact, 2021, Mental Health Deep Dive: https://www.csi.edu.au/research/project/building-back-better-deep-dives/
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Media Relations
Sara Rich, BlueChip Communication
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sara@bluechipcommunication.com.au