SPEAK UP! stay chatty Shorts Day

This year, SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY hosted their fourth annual Shorts Day, aiming to raise awareness for mental health across Tasmania.

Each year, Shorts Day encourages Tasmanians to join the mission to brave the cold and brave the conversation by wearing shorts, or Shorts Day merchandise, on the shortest day and often coldest day of the year. It serves as a reminder that while it might be uncomfortable to brave the cold and wear shorts, it can also be uncomfortable to engage in supportive conversations about mental health—but we all have the capacity to brave these moments and support those around us.

The theme for this year was ‘Let your shorts talk’ which aims to use the visual representation of the shorts to remind those around us that mental health matters.

This year, over 22,500 Tasmanians took part in the community action, marking the biggest participation to date. The team visited over 40 organisations including schools, workplaces, and community groups. Sarah, Mick and Johnno from 7HOFM also hosted an outside broadcast on the Hobart waterfront on the morning of Shorts Day to further promote the message.

…while it might be uncomfortable to brave the cold and wear shorts, it can also be uncomfortable to engage in supportive conversations about mental health.

Shorts Day’s continued growth is largely thanks to the RACT team, who came on board as a major support for the large scale community activation in 2023. Their team’s expertise and passion has been integral to the innovation and expansion of Shorts Day engagement over the last two years.

To date, over 68,000 Tasmanians have participated in Shorts Day since it was created in 2021.