Firstly, my apologies for this late abstract - I literally only found out about this conference today.
In January 2024, I lost my only child, 14 year old Ollie, to suicide after a battle with anorexia nervosa - a disorder too often seen through a female lens. His death exposed the stark gender bias, systemic gaps and societal blind spots that leave boys and young men unseen, undiagnosed and unsupported.
From this loss, Ollie’s Echo: Pathways to Prevention was born — a national, volunteer-led charity dedicated to changing the narrative around eating disorders in boys and addressing the digital and social drivers that harm young minds. Through school presentations, parent and educator resources, community outreach, and advocacy for responsible social media reform, we aim to build awareness, empathy, and early intervention pathways grounded in lived experience and prevention.
This presentation will explore how personal tragedy became a platform for national advocacy and community education — amplifying lived experience to influence cultural understanding, school wellbeing frameworks, and policy reform. Drawing on data, storytelling, and direct engagement with over 2,500 students across Australia from May 2025 - November 2025, it highlights the power of united voices to drive systemic change in suicide prevention.
At its heart, Pathways to Prevention is about hope — transforming grief into purpose and echoing one young boy’s story so that no family ever has to endure the same silence again.