Youth in Transition Charitable Trust

Every year around 600 people died by suicide, with over one quarter in Auckland1. Another 150,000 people think about taking their own life, around 50,000 make a plan to take their own life, and around 20,000 actively attempt suicide. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the world and the work of the Youth in Transition Charitable Trust (YIT) is to turn this around by providing a proven programme for the individual aimed at helping them to live a rich, full and meaningful life. To address the issue of youth suicide, in 2014 Youth In Transition founders developed our uniquely holistic JOURNEY BACK TO AWESOME programme, and our Executive Director has been recognised in 2020 national awards for “outstanding work in suicide prevention”, and in 2023 has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to suicide prevention and mental health. The JBA programme is based on experience gained by dealing with at risk youth over the span of over ten years by the Founder/ Director of the charity. The programme goes beyond the traditional approach of just providing medication and counselling, it also includes one-on-one mentoring, peer support groups, a nutrition & exercise programme, and family support modules (including support for parents). This holistic support is essential to successful outcomes enabling our high-risk young clients to transition into a life worth living. The programme is proving to be extraordinarily successful in addressing the needs of young people who are dealing with such issues as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thinking. Importantly, it is delivered in partnership with collaborating agencies and organisations in the community. Youth In Transition operates as a registered charity (Reg No. CC53503). It has functioned as a suicide prevention service since 2014 and has helped over 600 young people, their friends, and families, from the Hibiscus Coast/North Shore areas.