The Bright Futures forum came to the city following the release of a VicHealth report of the same name and was attended by about 80 people from local government, service providers and community groups.

City of Greater Bendigo young communities co-ordinator David Williamson said research undertaken ahead of the forum found young people identified mental health as a key issue and expressed a desire for empathy for the complex issues they faced from the wider community, including service providers.

He said young people also wanted greater access to information and services, and needed to feel confident and comfortable accessing those services.

The Bright Futures report identified five key “megatrends” that will impact the mental health of young people over the next 20 years: the rising bar for skills and education necessary for the global job market; the breakdown of barriers from globalisation; an increasingly diverse society; increasing exposure to content and relationships online; and an improved understanding of mental health and change in service delivery models.

VicHealth senior project officer Jim Rimmer said the report, the forums and a new grants program were focused on “future proofing” young people and creating an environment that built the resilience of both youth and the wider community going forward.

The new VicHealth funding program will provide grants for projects aimed at building the resilience and social connection of young people and the wider community.

Successful projects will be co-designed with young people, demonstrate partnerships with others and focus on groups at risk or disadvantage.

“Using a co-design approach you’re designing something more relevant, engaging and meaningful for the people you’re developing for,” Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre’s Dr Michelle Blanchard said.

Dr Blanchard said co-designing a project also gave those it targeted a sense of ownership, leading to greater support of the initiative.

VicHealth manager of mental wellbeing Irene Verins said co-design was a major feature of the grants program because it recognised young people has having agency and a voice.

“The reason we’re doing it is because we know that young people with strong social networks feel a lot less vulnerable to depression, and more able to cope with life’s ups and downs,” Ms Verins said.

Applications for the grants program will open on Thursday, June 30 and close August 11, with successful applicants to receive 12 months’ funding from September.

For more information on the report, visit the VicHealth website.