Originally funded for three years by the Department of Health and Aged Care, under the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program, the Seasons for Life Initiative from MacKillop Seasons has recently been awarded additional government funding until June 2027 to support secondary school communities across Australia with evidence-based loss and grief education following a suicide, or other loss event.
The fully funded initiative which has been offered to secondary schools since July 2022 strengthens the capacity of young people, and the adults supporting them, to understand and respond well to change, loss and grief. To date, almost 900 schools across Australia have engaged in the initiative, with approximately half of these schools located in regional and remote areas.
Wrap-around holistic supports
The wrap-around initiative supports students, staff, families and school communities, offering a range of programs which schools can engage in, including small group sessions for students, as well as programs for parents and carers, and a session for staff to build capacity so that they can recognise and effectively support young people experiencing loss and grief, including a loss by suicide. “The Staff Professional Learning sessions in particular have been highly sought after, as they really set the foundation for a whole school and community shift to grief awareness and support,” Keeva Mostyn (National Lead, Seasons for Life) told The Educator.
Director of MacKillop Seasons, Fiona McCallum, who is also part of the National Postvention Leadership Group (NPLG), along with key representatives from headspace Schools & Communities, Thirrili – Indigenous Suicide Postvention Service, and Youturn (Standby Support), participated in a panel discussion at the National Suicide Prevention Conference in Perth in May 2025. “The objective of this partnership is to improve postvention supports by actively aligning services and resources that enable the system to work more effectively for local communities and Seasons for Life plays a key part in this,” Fiona commented.
Keeping Spirit Strong
As part of the wrap-around supports offered to schools, Keeping Spirit Strong resources have been created with the support and guidance of First Nations community members and experts, to build the cultural knowledge, confidence and skills of staff to provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and families experiencing loss and grief, including loss by suicide. Resources include a directory of wellbeing supports, a booklet, and an eLearning to aid adults to support the grieving and healing journey for First Nations young people.
Evidence-based at the core
At the core of the Seasons for Life initiative is the Seasons for Growth program, which was developed in 1996 by Distinguished Professor Anne Graham AO, Director of the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University. “The Seasons for Growth educational program has supported almost half a million people worldwide for almost 30 years now, and is currently being run in nine countries,” Fiona McCallum told The Educator.
To celebrate the positive impact of Seasons for Life over the last three years, MacKillop Seasons have created a video, The Seasons for Life Story, which includes the voices of facilitators, wellbeing staff, school leadership and most importantly, young people who have participated in programs.
Seasons for Life is overseen by a national Advisory Group and is currently being evaluated by the University of New England. Interested schools can find out more about the Seasons for Life initiative by emailing [email protected].