Toppling taboos

Sarah Portwine is pretty candid when it comes to mental ill-health – a challenge the nursing student has experienced on and off for 16 years. 

“It got to the point in my life where I was like, ‘My family’s not good, my relationships aren’t good, uni’s stressing me out like crazy, I’m stuck in a degree I don’t want to be in and I can’t escape.’” 

As the UTS Chapter President of non-profit organisation Batyr, mental health awareness is something she’s keen to promote. “I guarantee there are countless students walking around, putting on a face, saying everything’s great, then going home and being the complete opposite of the university personality they’re putting on.”

Batyr’s University Manager David Lt agrees. “Statistically, in a class of 30 students, there’ll be seven who are experiencing or have experienced, in recent times, a diagnosable mental illness. That’s a huge chunk of the uni population.”

Indeed, the statistics are staggering. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44. And for every completed suicide, it is estimated there are 30 attempts. Yet the topic, says Portwine, remains taboo. “How do you go up to your friends on what is an otherwise normal, average day for everyone else and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m actually really struggling?’” 

That’s where Batyr comes in. Named after a talking elephant from Kazakhstan, Batyr aims to empower young people and give voice to the elephant in the room: mental illness. Batyr does not provide mental health services, but aims to de-stigmatise mental health issues and facilitate access to professional services.

“The idea of Batyr started around personal stories,” says Lt. “People who have gone through the lived experience of mental ill-health and are trained to share their stories.

“The aim is to create a sense of community and camaraderie around support and engaging in meaningful conversation. We want to stand with people and encourage them to do what they need to do. 

“We’ve been working closely with UTS’s Counselling Service and Health Service to make sure that students who need help, are able to find it.” 

UTS became the first university to engage with Batyr in a long-term program model in July. Since then, their approach has been two-pronged. One is grassroots, student-to-student engagement activities, the other is developing ways for students to connect with Batyr@UTS through their coursework.

To date seven UTS students have been trained through Batyr’s two-day Being Herd program where they learn about self-care, public speaking and how to tell their own story of mental illness at UTS and in high schools. 

Portwine says, “It’s really good because Batyr has given a lot of credibility to a group of students who probably wouldn’t otherwise have been listened to.”

While her experience of university has been challenging – beginning with two years in a science degree she didn’t complete – Portwine has found her path.

“It’s obviously not gone the way I planned, but at the end of the day I’m finishing. And that’s something I never thought was going to happen.”

To find out more about Batyr or get involved, visit facebook.com/BatyrUTS

UTS students can access free confidential counselling or a doctor by phoning 9514 1177. In case of an emergency on campus dial Security on freecall 1800 249 559 or dial 6 from a campus landline, or dial emergency services on 000. 

Anyone concerned about themselves can call Lifeline on 13 11 44.