Student Intranet - News

Have you ever noticed the blue tree near the lake on the Joondalup campus?

The blue tree was created by the ECU community in 2021 when Western Australian of the Year Youth Award winner Kendall Whyte visited. 

Whyte spoke about mental health and the The Blue Tree Project which she co-founded. 

The project, which sees dead trees being painted bright blue to raise awareness about suicide prevention, was started by a group of friends after Whyte's brother Jayden took his own life.

Jayden had painted a tree on the family's farm in Mukinbudin bright blue as a joke, but after his death friends began painting trees blue to promote discussions about mental health and suicide prevention. 

When ECU’s blue tree was created there were 680 blue trees across Australia, and the concept has also spread to the United Kingdom, the USA, New Zealand and Canada. Today there are over 1000!

Kendall Whyte delivered a key note address at the launch of the university's Student and Staff Mental Health Strategy 2021- 2024, sharing her insights into mental health.

"It's really been quite an incredible thing to see it resonate with so many people as it has really only been two and half years since the project first started." Whyte said.

Whyte discussed how it is important that we normalise asking for help when we become aware of challenges to our mental health.

"I think we need to normalise asking for help, we need to say it's okay to ask for help so reach out, and secondly we need to be able to find a balance."

The guest speaker said she often thought about mental health like a bank account. 

"What you take out, must go back in, so if you're having withdrawals due to stress, trauma, health issues, anxiety, well then you've also got to make deposits through sleep, rest, self-care, therapy, movement and exercise."

Meet the team from Blue Leaf

Since visited ECU  back in 2021 Kendall Whyte has launched a new associated project called Blue Leaf, which helps share mental health resources and training.

On Tuesday 8 October WA Mental Health Week will be marked on the  South West, Bunbury Campus. Enjoy a live WAAPA performance, free sandwiches and wraps, and build your own sundae!

Chat to Blue Leaf for local mental health resources and visit the Medibank Health Van for a free health check-up! Plus, lawn games and more! The event will be on from 11am – 1pm Building 7.

Find out more about all the events happening at ECU.

ECU Psychological Counselling Support team

If you need additional assistance reach out to Psychological Counselling Support.

Take a look at all the Tip Sheets available that cover issues including dealing with stress, procrastination, living with housemates, avoiding burnout and how to get a great night's sleep.

You can also drop by The Living Room on the Joondalup campus.  It is a quiet and calming space where you can take some time out, chat to a friendly face and get some guidance on how to plan around any barriers in your way.

ECU Crisis Line

The ECU Out of Hours Crisis Line is also available. Call 1300 583 032 or text 0488 884 232

This phone support service operates from 4.30pm to 9.00am on weekdays, and 24 hours on weekends, providing students with mental health and well-being support. The service is intended to help callers find immediate relief from emotional distress, explore coping strategies for the current crisis.

You can also call services including Lifeline on 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or beyondblue.org.au