I AM HOPE founder and mental health advocate Mike King says he and his charity are thrilled to be able to hire two more full-time school ambassadors thanks to a $100,000 donation by award-winning Kiwisaver scheme provider Fisher Funds.

“Since 2013, we have delivered our I AM HOPE programme to over 300,000 youth and young people throughout Aotearoa. This past year alone we have spoken to over 40,000 kids and have travelled over 35,000kms,” says King.

“I AM HOPE is funded by the people of New Zealand. We don’t take government money to run our programme and we never will. The generosity of Fisher Funds will allow us to reach even more of our young people so we can let them know having an inner-critic. That voice in our heads that beats us up and has us constantly questioning ourselves, does not mean a person is mentally ill.

“Our I AM HOPE youth ambassadors share their own stories about overcoming adversity and by doing so give our kids a glimpse into their own worlds so they can better understand being perfect is impossible and making mistakes is a normal part of life,” he says.

“We’ve had a successful year at Fisher Funds, and are in the fortunate position to be able to give back to New Zealand, and support some of the Kiwis most in need. We know New Zealand is facing a youth mental health crisis and Covid-19 has worsened the trend over the last 18 months,” says Fisher Funds Chief Executive Officer Bruce Mclachlan.

“As the number of young Kiwis who need help increases, mental health services are stretched to breaking point and in need of support like never before. All of us at Fisher Funds, and many of our clients, are deeply concerned about these statistics and are passionate about doing our part to make a difference and provide meaningful support that allows mental health services to help more young Kiwis,” He adds.

I AM HOPE ambassadors speak to kids from year 7-13 years old no school is too big or too small, and most importantly, there is no cost involved.

The charity has received compelling testimonies from schools who have seen the value that being vulnerable with students has. It can be found on: https://www.iamhope.org.nz/school-tour

If schools are interested in having an ambassador visit their school, they can register their school’s interest with zoe@iamhope.org.nz

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