Gumboot Friday gives young Kiwis, our precious rangatahi, free and fast access to qualified counselling. This service relies on the continued generosity of many New Zealanders. They need our help, we need yours.
Having depression is like walking through mud every day. So, during our national campaigns, we ask you to show your support, put your gumboots on, give a gold coin, and take a walk in their shoes for just one day.
Our next Gumboot Friday is scheduled for November 3rd 2023.
All year round incredible people around the country are fundraising and getting involved in Gumboot Friday. What's on in your community? Check out the map.
With the generosity and support of New Zealanders we will continue to supply private care and counselling for young people in distress.
The next Gumboot Friday is scheduled for November 3rd 2023.
Gumboot Friday is an initiative by the I Am Hope Foundation, a fundraising and advocacy organisation that supports young people who are struggling with their mental health. We help connect young people with existing counsellors or therapists and provide funding for counselling, so that they get help as soon as they need it.
The Gumboot Friday counselling funding service is designed to take the pressure off current services and give young people facing long wait times an alternative pathway.
Gumboot Friday is not a long-term solution designed to take over from government services, rather, it should be seen as a bridge between current services and immediate need. Everyone is encouraged to seek government funded help while utilising our service.
For people struggling with depression, it can feel like walking through mud every day.
So on nominated Friday's during the year, we're asking you to show your support, put your gumboots on, give a gold coin, and take a walk in their shoes for just one day.
It's a fun way for kiwis to join in the mental health conversation, while raising money to provide free and timely counselling for any young person in need.
Different ways you can get involved:
You can still take part in any of the ways mentioned above. Or share a pair with a friend - a problem shared is a problem halved!
To let us know about your fundraising plans, join the Gumboot Army here. Thank you again for your support, let's #GUMBOOTUPNZ!
There are multiple ways to donate to Gumboot Friday. See the options on our Make a Donation page.
Check out our online shop here.
All profits from the sale of Gumboot Up products will go into the Gumboot Friday Kiwibank account to help kids access free counselling when they need it.
100% of your donation that's deposited directly into the Kiwibank Gumboot Friday account goes to counselling for kiwi kids and young people. Kids (with the support of their adult supporters) can make an appointment directly with a counsellor or therapist that meets our criteria.
Anyone in New Zealand who is 25 years of age or under.
We provide funding for young people aged 05-24 yrs to get counselling.
Counsellors are not employed by the I Am Hope Foundation. We're collecting a database of counsellors qualified to work with young people, so we can share their details on our website (counsellors can sign up here). Young people can get a counsellor from our database to make an appointment.
We have strict guidelines about the types of counsellors and therapists we accept onto our database.
They must all fit one of the following categories:
Counsellors and Therapists on our database are not a recommendation or exhaustive list of available professionals in New Zealand. We encourage everyone to do the necessary research to find a practitioner who suits your personal needs.
We expect all counsellors and therapists on our database to provide I AM HOPE and Gumboot Friday clients with the same quality of service and professionalism as clients who pay directly.
It is not uncommon for suicidal youth to be discharged from the public system as “not acute enough” or to find themselves on a waitlist for the better half of a year. These claims are backed by interviews and subsequent thematic analysis with our counsellors. New Zealand’s system forces children to get worse before they get better and systematically pushes our mental health practitioners to burnout.
Gumboot Friday flips the script by offering counselling as “just a conversation”. In our system, children receive free, timely help unconditionally, regardless of who they are. This allows us to address issues quickly before they escalate, and thus unburdens the health system while giving our children support when they request it. On the other side of this service, practitioners can access funding to hold children in their community and enjoy a higher quality of work with a less acute clientele, as well as a fair wage.
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