IPG Mediabrands Australia is targeting $100,000 in its 2018 fundraising drive for youth mental-health charity batyr.

The fundraiser on October 18 will be coordinated by UnLtd and is aimed at eclipsing Mediabrands’ fundraiser for batyr last year which raised more than $70,000.

Led by Patrick Darcy, managing director of data, insights and technology business Cadreon, Mediabrands is encouraging its 670+ people individually or in teams to raise money for batyr through creative ideas and inventive activities.

Darcy said some of the activities already planned this year will include full scale putt-putt golf courses taking over the Sydney and Melbourne offices, a team walking more than 21kms to cross seven bridges in Sydney, Bogan Bingo, a cycling marathon and a large group willing to dye their hair batyr blue for donations.

The day will culminate with an auction of the Mediabrands’ Executive Leadership Team to spend a day with a business and offer their experience and expertise to the winning bidder, plus one full “batyr@work” program which supports the mental health and wellbeing of an organisation’s people.

Youth mental health is a major issue in Australia. In any group of 30 students, seven will be experiencing a mental health challenge.

Of those seven, only two will reach out for support, leaving five suffering in silence.

batyr is a ‘for purpose’ organisation working to change these statistics.

Named after a talking elephant from Kazakhstan (ie, the elephant in the room), batyr provides a program that trains young people to safely and effectively speak about their own experience with mental ill health.

batyr takes these speakers into schools, universities and corporate arenas, running programs that start positive conversations around mental health to help smash the stigma and increase help-seeking behaviour. www.batyr.com.au

batyr CEO Jon Davies said “Last year the Mediabrands fundraiser blew us away and ultimately enabled us to run 30 batyr@school programs across the country.

“Programs that are empowering current and future generations of young people to be mentally healthy. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support.

“Not only are IPG Mediabrands raising money to help our school students, but they are also leading the way through creating a supportive and stigma-free work environment.”

UnLtd CEO Chris Freel said: “Mediabrands is a brilliant supporter of UnLtd and we can’t wait to see the impact they will generate in Year-Two of this amazing day.

“Along with batyr, they are helping smash the stigma of mental health, which is an issue that resonates with us all. $100k is a massive target and I have no doubt they will smash it.

“I am personally also looking forward to auctioning off one of my Board Members and his Exec Team to the highest bidder.”