Join us for

ONE FOOT FORWARD

the walk for mental health

Register your interest for 2024

October is Mental Health Month

Join us to walk, run or roll in solidarity for the 1 in 5 Australians who experience a mental illness each year.

Together, we can show them they are not alone.

Register your interest

How It Works

1. Sign Up

Sign up (for FREE) and join our community to walk in solidarity throughout October.

2. Share

Share your page and raise funds to help Australians impacted by mental illness.

3. Walk

Walk, run or roll and log your kms throughout October for Mental Health Month.

Walking Together. Standing Together. Stronger Together.

 28, 211 people walking in solidarity

$5,268,131 raised for mental health

Mental Health stats in Australia

1 in 5

people experience a mental illness each year

9

people in Australia die by suicide every day

60%

of people living with mental illness will not seek help

Let's show people with mental illness that we're in this together.
Funds raised will help Black Dog Institute put ground-breaking new mental health treatment, education and digital services into the hands of the people who need them most.


Register your interest for One Foot Forward 2024

Join our community to create better mental health for all Australians.

Register your interest

Paul Rudd takes part in One Foot Forward every year:

"I went through a bad patch with my mental health when I hurt my back and I needed a lot of time off to recover. I had limited mobility, so I started to lose contact with the outside world. Then I lost interest in doing anything at all. My mind just clouded all positive thoughts.

It took me two years to rebuild myself. So when I heard about One Foot Forward I decided to take part. I wanted to connect with other people who had been through something similar.

“The community is a big, supportive family.”

To anyone thinking about taking part in One Foot Forward, I say ‘Do it!’. You get to enjoy the fresh air and get your blood moving. It’s also a fun community thing. Above all, it helps raise funds and awareness that help is out there if you need support for your mental health.”

Register your interest now and join Paul in One Foot Forward 2024.

Solidarity Wall

Stacey

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone.

Terese A tribute for Dad forever 48, Kristy forever 24, my only sibling sister Smiley forever 38 and my cousin Luke forever 17. Family and friends including with Veteran community

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone.My next journey... Super keen to start my 200 km walk during October, to raise money for Suicide Awareness, Prevention and Mental Health Assistance. Link is here ⬇️ - there is also a QR code attached. https://www.onefootforward.org.au/s/151408/172912 and at the bottom of this post... Even if you can't donate, sharing my link is still a massive help 🥰. Most of you know suicide and mental health are a subject close to my heart. I lost my dad at Christmas 2002 aged 48, when I was 29, followed by in December 2004, my cousin Kristy aged 24, she was living with us due to a break up, my only sibling my sister Smiley 38 died 4th October, found by randoms on their morning walk on the 5th , my cousin Luke 17 in April of 2016. I also have other family members who have had multiple attempts. Who've been in and out of psych... I personally am ex army - a defence force veteran and know how hard life can get.... I know we can't save the world from the hurt and pain of suicide BUT just ONE life - just ONE person who recieved help makes it all worthwhile. Please support this cause, suicide stat's are on the rise. Let's get together and united let us get more help for those struggling.... To die via suicide is honestly the WORST way to leave your family.. There's literally NO ONE BUT THE PERSON YOU'RE GRIEVING TO BLAME... A car accident, murder, heart attack, old age the blame fot someone or something else is there. With suicide it's not. The IF ONLY'S that infiltrate your mind and wish to God there was something you'd have to done to prevent death via suicide. To be left an only child, parentless, childless is the hardest thing to date I've had to go through - moreso my sister, who I was extremely close to. Being a suicide survivor literally does your head in, it takes every ounce of strength to face the next day. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem... There is and can be light... Have I personally struggled? Absolutely... First and only attempt postnatally, when I had my first child in 1996. He was only about 6 weeks old and thank God he cried... I swore that day never again, have the thoughts penetrated? Yes. I suffered severe postnatal depression after all 4 children. I'd be lying to say it hasn't BUT I can share with you all my promise I've made to my family.... I will not leave this earth, deliberately by my own hand. My personal mantra that I live by is: For every negative no matter the size, look for the positive in every situation. Again no matter how small find the positive.... and hold onto it for dear life... https://www.onefootforward.org.au/s/151408/172912 ❤️🌞🙏

Jinela D

There is always someone out there who struggles with mental health issues and I wanna play a role in supporting them and making them feel heard!

Nicole Smith

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone.

Louise Briggs

We live in a society where more than half of Australians will not actively seek help. I’m running this October and raising funds in hope that we can change that together. Sharing our own experiences with mental health and normalising talking about heavy topics may encourage others to step forward and seek the help they deserve. As a community we can provide tools that could improve someone’s quality of life. We all are entitled to a fighting chance and a helping hand. You are not alone, you are heard and you are loved

Jo A tribute for Me and my family

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone. I was diagnosed 3 years ago with anxiety and depression. Just keep putting one foot forward.

Hap

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone.

Jodi Lawrence

I’m walking in solidarity this October for Australians affected by mental illness and suicide. You are not alone. I am also walking for myself .. diagnosed PTSD 3 years ago now and suffer debilitating panic attacks. I haven't really told anyone anything. For a long time I've thought it's a weakness that it was making me even weaker. But after a lifetime of many different private and some public traumas I had managed to keep it together, work fulltime, study full time and raise 2 younh adults now pretty much on own making sure that they always had what they needed no matter how tired, hungry or sad at tumes that i might have been i just kept moving forward. Until a few years ago I just crumbled and I have struggled hard to come back. I have not been able to work for 6 months due to injury and illness which has definitely impacted my mental health even more. I realised I was completely isolating myself and shutting everyone out. Living in my little bubble. Rarely leaving my home. This life can be very wearing and definitely unhealthy. And some might even say dangerous as you have no one around if you ever do need help in anyway. I saw the post advertising this walk and read Pauls story and something inside me said .. REGISTER.. I don't know how I will go raising the funds I will do my absolute best as right now this cause is greater than anything and more wide spread than many realise. It's ok to not be ok.. a phrase many have heard including myself. But until I was diagnosed and even some time after it had a different meaning for me. And I would be the first to say it many other people in my path during my work as a nusre and youth worker or personal life on a day to to day basis. But when it referred to myself as well it changed, it mean that I really am human and I feel and grieve and have emotions that need to be addressed and experiences need to be acknowledged and maybe even unpacked. My Goal with this walk is to get myself out of my room/house and back into life. Meeting new people and not hiding from them. Hearing that so many other people have similar experiences and have made new friends and joined new groups ... that's where I would like to be so I can keep making a difference as I was before and finish my social work degree to continue that journey and over come all of my fears.