Keep in Touch, or KIT, is a mobile mental health service for young people aged 14 to 18 in the Loddon Campaspe region is reminding locals that help is available, following a post-COVID relaunch in Bendigo on Thursday.

The KIT van, an Anglicare service originally created by local young people with a passion for youth wellbeing, travels to areas where dedicated mental health support is often not available, and mining company Agnico Eagle has invested in the service until mid-2024 while the demand for support services in Victoria remains at critical levels.

The funding from Agnico Eagle will give schools, community groups and local event organisers access to the free mobile service that seeks to promote positive mental health knowledge in schools and other community groups.

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Anglicare Victoria youth program and community services manager Michael Oerlemans said while there were mental health services in the region, the purpose of KIT was to "open up a conversation between young people about mental health and how they can access services".

"It's also about how they can support one another and really just talking about mental health because often mental health concerns, particularly with young people and adolescents, they keep them to themselves and we don't see what's going on until it's that kind of pointy end of them for needing support," Mr Oerlemans said.

"So this is really around encouraging an environment where we can talk about mental health."

Mr Oerlemans said engaging other young people as youth champions had been once of the highlights of the program so far, allowing the program to offer perspectives from peers as well as older mentors.

Victoria Stevens, 23, said she applied to be a KIT champion because she was passionate about youth issues and mental health.

"We come around to high schools and community events and we're really trying to just break that stigma around mental health and in a positive and engaging way," Ms Stevens said.

"So we play a lot of mental health related games with the kids and just get that conversation going.

"And then we also provide a lot of connections and support which people can go to if they are struggling, and for a lot of these kids, it's the first time they're even talking about their mental health so knowing that they have options on where to go if they are struggling is really beneficial."

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Ms Stevens said the goal is for young people to feel like they can approach one of the KIT champions with questions or concerns and not feel intimidated about starting the conversation.

"Concerns about friendships, relationships and isolation are coming up a lot," she said.

"I think some of the most rewarding moments for me have been a few incidents where I've had to share a bit of my personal experience and I've given those kids some techniques that personally helped me and then they've gone and they've used those techniques and it's benefited them.

"Even just giving them the information that they need to go and help their mental health and just educating them I think has been uplifting."

Anglicare Victoria youth program and community services manager Tim McCormick said the KIT project had already provided support to more than 5000 young people across the region since emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns, a number which is expected to double in the next year.

He said the funding from Agnico Eagle would be vital to continuing the program's services in schools and local events.

"Thanks to Agnico Eagle, the KIT project has recruited a full-time youth worker and more recently, the four KIT youth champions who guide the direction of the project and support the KIT van at events," Mr McCormick said.

"We're excited to be able to reach more young people to talk about their mental health more often over the coming year."

Agnico Eagle's Australian environment and government relations director Felicia Binks said the company was "immensely proud" to support the KIT van and its work across the region.

"The program provides a wonderful support (mentally, physically and spiritually) to young people in the region," Ms Binks said.

To have the KIT team visit your school or community event, please email KIT.Van@anglicarevic.org.au

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