Ruby Riethmuller believes that young people who live in regional, rural and remote Australia should have the same opportunity to access mental health support as their city peers.
Born and raised on a farm in regional New South Wales, Ruby understands the isolation and lack of services that many young people face – particularly girls. In Australia, suicide is the leading single cause of death for girls aged 16 to 24.
Putting advocacy into action, in 2020 Ruby founded Womn-Kind, a national social enterprise delivering wellbeing workshops in schools and via a digital app, the Womn-Kind App.
Ruby has helped young people talk about their experiences and communities see mental health as a shared responsibility. Beyond mental health, Ruby believes in empowering youth leadership and has put this into action through founding the Womn-Kind National Youth Leadership Panel.
So far Womn-Kind has supported over 30,000 young people, with more than 7,000 young people engaging with Womn-Kind online every day.