A bold new approach to suicide prevention.
We exists to make it easier for men to take positive action than to suicide.
About Spur
Spur Projects is an evolving idea: We believe that to tackle the rate of suicide among men in Australia, bold new approaches to suicide prevention are required.
Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men aged 14 to 44, and 80% of all suicides in Australia are men.
We also know that the risk of suicide diminishes with help and support. For many men, however, seeking help and support is the last thing on their mind. That needs to change, and we exist to change that.
Soften The Fck Up
Launched in July 2011, Soften the Fck Up is a campaign to challenge the question of what it means to be a man and to encourage the tough conversations around mental health and help-seeking.
As of July 2012, we have reached over 30,000 people via our website, videos and other social media channels.
In 2011, Soften the Fck Up won Suicide Prevention Australia’s LIFE Award and was one of three finalists for Queensland’s Mental Health Achievement Award.
The Team
Ehon Chan, Founder & Captain
Having grown up in a developing country, Ehon’s motivations are simple and compelling. He has seen first-hand the inequalities life and society can bring. He has experienced loss and grief at a personal and community level. It is these life experiences that drive him to make the world a better place to live in.
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Lee Crockford, Creative Director
Lee Crockford is a composer, facilitator and design thinker who is passionate about instigating change through the arts and education. With a background in project development, he has worked around the world, exploring new ways of delivering content in order to foster ownership and generate change.
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Damon Klotz, Director of Operations
Having seen the impact of depression & suicide impact his family & friends Damon decided to get on board to try do something about it. Damon manages the team’s social media and general outreach of our campaign. During the day, he’s a digital media strategist for a global health company. He is also involved in several other projects, including maintaining a blog on human resources.
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Gina Williams, Planner
With a passion for good ideas, Gina has an extensive experience in the digital space – having worked in several international agencies both in New Zealand and Australia. Gina currently works as a publicist during the day and our digital creative strategist in her free time.
Follow @glwilliams
Spur Projects relies heavily on our passionate volunteers and supporters
The team is advised by a panel of leading experts in their sector and field.
Volunteers and Supporters
What We've Learned
Challenging the status quo isn’t easy and as proud as we are of what we’ve accomplished so far, the road has been far from smooth. For every question that still needs an answer, there has been an equal number of valuable lessons we have learned on the journey that now guide the work we do.
Our 8 values and beliefs:
- We believe that there is no such thing as a typical Aussie male.
- What we do can and will create change.
- All Australian men have the capacity to take control of their mental health and seek help when needed.
- Being courageous means challenging the status quo, asking the tough questions and starting the important conversations.
- We value agility and flexibility. Taking action is more important than dwelling for too long on a single idea.
- Empowerment comes from co-creation. We give people the space to work with us to reconstruct their stigmatised experiences.
- We believe in staying authentic to the message and cause. We stay true to our words.
- Maintaining youthful passion and dynamism within the Spur team is critical in driving innovation.
Where We're Headed
One day, there will be zero avoidable suicides in Australia – this is our vision and we know it is possible.
By 2015, Spur will be a significant leader in the delivery of highly effective campaigns that engage men in the tough conversations surrounding mental health. These campaigns will be evidence-based, reflect the range of mental health needs of men, demonstrate courage and boldness, and target specific, identified audiences.
By 2015, at least 500,000 men will be aware of how to take preventative mental health action as a result of Spur campaigns. Of those, 100,000 will have become engaged with our campaigns and content.
Get Involved
If you’d like to get involved, the four best things you could do are:
- Support our crowdfunding campaign: www.pozible.com/softenthefckup
- Purchase our T-shirt at RedBubble
- Volunteer with us. We are always looking for passionate people to be involved.
- Subscribe to our newsletter.
The Issue
Suicide is the number one cause of death amongst young people aged 14-25, ahead of road and traffic accidents (ABS 2010). Four out of five of these suicides are young men. Suicide is preventable; however, there is a lack of programs and services designed to target young men. Men are also less likely to:
- rate mental health issues as a
major health problem - mention depression as a
major health problem - say they know what the major mental
health problems in Australia are - identify most of the signs and symptoms
of depression. (beyondblue 2008)