The impact of our Lifting the Lid on mental health programme is going from strength to strength.
Lifting the Lid Newsletter July 2026
To highlight the impact of Lifting the Lid on youth mental health and how valuable your support is, outlined below is an abbreviated note we received from a Principal.
“We identified a student who is very capable and has the potential to achieve highly but was struggling to settle and maintain a healthy routine. We decided to recommend Te Ara (Alternative Education) to provide one-on-one teaching and help foster intrinsic motivation to continue with her education.
The student has been fully engaged in her learning, and after a full year at Te Ara, we have seen a significant improvement in her wellbeing as well as her aspirations to become a successful learner and achieve at a higher level than other family members. She expressed her gratitude for being given this opportunity and is now ready to return to school to begin Level 3, challenging herself to complete her education successfully.
Had this intervention not been in place, I am confident the student would have left school without a Year 11 qualification and likely remained unemployed.
Thank you, Lifting the Lid, for supporting us with funding and making this experience possible!”
Our quarterly schools’ meeting on the 25th of June was a great success, with nearly 20 representatives from our 14 schools joining several Rotarians. Dr Chris Bowden, Director of the Educational Psychology Programme at Victoria University shared thoughtful insights into the levels of psychological distress many students are experiencing and what the data is telling us. He also talked through practical ways schools can support students when the Ministry of Health services are under pressure and specialist help is harder to access.
His presentation sparked a lively discussion, and we’re pleased that Dr Chris has agreed to join us again at our next meeting in October. If you would like a copy of his presentation, please let me know.
Over the past couple of months, our Lifting the Lid on Youth Mental Health team has had the pleasure of giving several presentations. With thanks to Brent, our new District Governor, we were able to share an update at Changeover. In May, Richard and I were warmly welcomed in Auckland, where we presented Lifting the Lid to around 20 Auckland Rotary Presidents. Also, in May we had the opportunity to present our LtL story to 90 or so members of the Amity organization.
So far this year, we’ve supported 169 students through 368 sessions. While these numbers are a little lower than expected, we anticipate they will grow significantly later in the year. Since the programme began in August 2022, we’ve supported 1,773 students through 2,125 sessions, at a total cost of $172,414. And this is all thanks to the fantastic support we receive from our Rotary Clubs.
Please tentatively mark your calendars for Sunday August 23rd from 2-4pm. We are planning to hold a meeting for all clubs who have adopted LtL to explain the Global Grant, its implications and processes.
Thanks
David and the Wellington Lifting the Lid on youth mental health team.