Jake Lever’s top will honour Hugh Greenwood’s (right) late mother before Saturday’s game.

Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) has announced it will replace its logo on the front of Melbourne Football Club (MFC) AFL run out t-shirts with the names of individuals impacted by breast cancer – the first time in MFC history a team sponsor has used its logo space in support of charity.

In collaboration with Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), Zurich has selected 43 individuals from more than 350 public nominations whose names will be displayed on the t-shirts in support of ‘PLAY4BCNA’ during AFL Round 15 ‘Pink Lady Match’ on 22 June.

Zurich has also announced a $10,000 donation to BCNA to assist with funding essential support services, resources and advocacy programs for individuals and families affected by breast cancer.

Cancer was the second most common cause for life insurance claim at Zurich in 2023*, representing more than 20 per cent of all claims and resulting in $473 million in claims payments. Of these cancer claims, breast cancer accounted for 15 per cent.

Linda Griffin, Head of Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs at Zurich said: “According to recent analysis by Zurich, breast cancer impacts more than 20,000 new individuals each year and can cost on average more than $40,000 over a person’s lifetime. As an insurer, Zurich sees this impact first-hand.”

“Zurich is proud to use its logo space to recognise those impacted by breast cancer and to raise awareness and funding for Breast Cancer Network Australia. With the rate of breast cancer diagnosis increasing in Australia, it is more important than ever to support such an important cause,” Ms Griffin said.

Gary Pert, Chief Executive Officer at MFC said: “To have our players representing those impacted by breast cancer is a great opportunity which allows us to raise critical awareness of BCNA’s important work.”

“The initiative is a fantastic collaboration, and we thank Zurich for their support of our long-standing partnership with BCNA and for allowing this important cause to take center stage,” Mr Pert said.

Kirsten Pilatti, Chief Executive Officer at BCNA said: “BCNA are so grateful to MFC for their continued support with the Pink Lady Match and to Zurich who have graciously allowed us to use their logo space on the warmup tops to amplify our cause, and ultimately offer all Australians affected by breast cancer visibility through this iconic match.” 

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Barbara Jordan

Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) has marked the launch of the 2023 Tackle Your Feelings season, together with an independent evaluation by Monash University demonstrating the positive impact and success of the mental wellbeing program.

Founded in 2018 by Zurich Insurance, the Z Zurich Foundation, the AFL Coaches Association and the AFL Players’ Association, Tackle Your Feelings is a free mental health education and awareness training program delivered by accredited psychologists and offered to the coaches, members and staff of local AFL community clubs.

Since its inception, the program has impacted the lives of thousands of Australians through its delivery across 850 community clubs, with more than 145,000 players benefiting from their leaders completing the program.

A recent independent academic evaluation of the program by Monash University found, amongst other things, that participants:

• improved their knowledge of mental health and wellbeing issues by 30 per cent
• decreased the level of social stigma associated with mental health issues by two-thirds, and 
• enhanced their knowledge of the resources available to support mental health by more than 20 per cent.

Linda Griffin, Head of Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Zurich Australia & New Zealand and Tackle Your Feelings Steering Committee Chair said: “Zurich is incredibly proud to have supported Tackle Your Feelings since its inception. There has never been a more important time to prioritise mental health education and support initiatives that improve awareness in the community.”

“The results of this report demonstrate that Tackle Your Feelings is a proven success and, more importantly, provide an encouraging signal of the difference the program will continue to make into the future,” Ms Griffin said.

Barbara Jordan, Z Zurich Foundation Regional Engagement Manager for Asia Pacific said: “At the Z Zurich Foundation, we have a commitment to improving mental wellbeing in communities around the world. Tackle Your Feelings is one of our flagship programs, and we welcome the

new data which confirms its positive impact in community sports clubs in Australia, and communities more broadly. Tackle Your Feelings is an excellent example of many parties collaborating successfully for one common cause.”

Nathan Buckley, former AFL coach and player and Tackle Your Feelings Ambassador said: “It’s an awesome program. It’s so succinct and gives you really practical strategies. It’s a great conversation starter.”

Adam Baldwin, Tackle Your Feelings Program Manager said: “Community football clubs are beginning to understand the responsibility they have to their members to create an environment that prioritises mental health and promotes conversations so that someone who is struggling feels comfortable to ask for help.”

The Tackle Your Feelings research paper was published in the Journal of Mental Health and Prevention and can be accessed here.

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Mr Perfect BBQ

Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) has renewed its 12-month support for Australian mental health charity, Mr Perfect.

Mr Perfect provides conversation and connection for men through informal gatherings across the country. The grassroots charity is one of many in the mental health arena that Zurich supports in Australia & New Zealand.

Now in their fifth consecutive year of collaboration, Zurich has supported Mr Perfect’s expansion to more than 40 locations around the country. The funding has also enabled Mr Perfect to scale up its online offering.

The announcement comes ahead of International Men’s Day this Saturday 19 November.

Data in the recent 2021 Census^[1] found mental health was one of the most commonly reported long-term health conditions suffered by men, affecting more than 872,000 people.

Linda Griffin, Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Zurich Australia & New Zealand said: “Mr Perfect is effective because it creates a safe space for meaningful conversation between men.”

“We know that mental health conditions are on the rise, and that reluctance to seek help disproportionately affects men. A recent national study^[2] of mental health found that 18 percent of men suffered a 12-month mental disorder in 2020-21, yet only one in eight men saw a health professional for their mental health compared with one in five females.”

“Zurich is committed to improving the accessibility of mental wellbeing programs in the community.”

Mr Perfect founder, Terry Cornick said: “We have seen the impact of Mr Perfect first-hand in the years since its launch.”

“Mr Perfect strikes a chord because it offers an entry point into mental health awareness and support for the community. We are excited to continue this great trajectory with the ongoing support of Zurich.”

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[1] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/health-census/2021
[2] https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/2020-21#prevalence-of-mentaldisorders

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Justin Delaney

The Z Zurich Foundation, has pledged a two-year grant to improve the mental health and wellbeing of New Zealand’s primary and high school students through an education approach called Mitey. This local grant program will be run in collaboration with the Sir John Kirwan Foundation and Zurich New Zealand.

Mitey takes a school-wide approach to mental health education, bringing teachers, students and communities together around a common goal – mentally thriving children. The collaboration further cements Zurich Australia and New Zealand’s commitment to supporting mental wellbeing in the community, not only in terms of raising awareness but also through supporting practical and positive behavioural change.

“With an estimated one in seven adolescents aged between 10 and 19 living with a diagnosed mental illness globally^[1], supporting Mitey in New Zealand is one of many important ways that Zurich is living out its commitment to mental wellbeing in the community,” said Justin Delaney, CEO Zurich Australia and New Zealand.

Mitey is being rolled out to schools in Auckland and is set to go nationwide, reaching thousands of students and positively impacting the lives of tens of thousands of people, including teachers, students and their families.

Sir John Kirwan says the Z Zurich Foundation pledge will help grow Mitey’s school base across the country and increase the number of coaches who work directly with schools.

“Mitey is about inspiring change. It’s about exciting our kids in the way we teach them about their own mental health and those of others. That’s why the Z Zurich Foundation’s pledge is so important. It will enable us to expand the positive impact of Mitey to more schools and initiate the change we need in child mental health.”

Zurich Financial Services Australia Head of Brand, Marketing & Corporate Affairs Linda Griffin said the launch of Mitey meant Zurich now had mental wellbeing initiatives across both Australia and New Zealand to support local communities where it conducted business.

“We have a mission to be a champion of mental health and wellbeing in the community. Through initatives like Mitey in New Zealand and Tackle your Feelings in Australia, we are working towards creating a world where every young person is supported to achieve positive mental wellbeing,” Ms Griffin said.

In Australia, Zurich, in collaboration with the Z Zurich Foundation, supports three mental wellbeing programs for youth: Tackle Your Feelings, a national program delivering mental health training at community AFL clubs across Australia; The Raise Foundation, a youth mentoring organisation; and Beyond Empathy, an arts organisation that uses its influence to change and enrich the lives of indigenous youth facing recurring hardships.

In addition, the Z Zurich Foundation launched a global partnership with UNICEF to promote young people’s mental wellbeing. The program aims to benefit more than half a million adolescents and caregivers in seven countries and hopes to reach 30 million people worldwide through a communication campaign.

More about Mitey

Each participating school is given a Mitey coach together with access to an online learning platform offering tools and resources. The secret to Mitey’s success is its coaches who are senior trained teachers and work directly in schools. They provide support and professional development to senior leadership teams and teachers setting them up to confidently and sustainably deliver effective mental health education school wide. Educating students in all aspects of mental health lays the foundations for them to nurture their mental health for the rest of their lives.

Mitey has been developed by education specialists at the University of Auckland and co-designed by a range of schools and communities, combining a deep and considered knowledge and understanding of what is required to embed mental health education in New Zealand schools. Mitey is about upskilling an entire teaching workforce so that they can confidently teach mental health education in the classroom in the same way they teach literacy and maths.

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[1] UNICEF’s “The State of the World’s Children 2021” flagship report – https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021

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Now in their fourth year of partnership, Zurich and OnePath Life have supported Mr Perfect to expand to more than 40 locations in most states and territories around the country. The funding also enabled Mr Perfect to quickly scale up online services and support, in place of in-person meetups during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Zurich Financial Services Australia’s Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Linda Griffin said Zurich and OnePath Life were committed to improving accessibility of mental wellbeing programs in the community.

“New research into Australia’s mental health emergency by the Centre for Social Impact shows that prevention and early intervention represent our best tools for supporting mental wellbeing^[2],” Ms Griffin said.

“It’s our hope and strong belief that through participation in community programs like Mr Perfect, fewer Australians will reach a point of crisis in their mental health. We’ve seen firsthand through the various mental wellbeing programs we support that community-based programs serve a tremendous role. We are inspired by people like Terry Cornick, Mr Perfect’s founder, for the work they do to lift up their communities and fellow Australians.”

Mr Perfect founder Terry Cornick said awareness of mental health and wellbeing had improved among men in the five years since he started the program.

“When we first started Mr Perfect, even getting men to turn up was a challenge, let alone talk about their mental wellbeing,” Mr Cornick said.

“That’s no longer the case. Our average attendance at BBQs has gone from five to more than 20 and people are more willing to open up. What we’re offering is a soft entry point into mental health awareness and support. It’s our hope that men come to our BBQs, have a meaningful conversation with someone they can relate to, and later reflect on whether they need to consider taking the next step in addressing their own mental health concerns.”

The partnership is in line with Zurich and OnePath Life’s mission to be champions of mental wellbeing in Australia by supporting early intervention and practical behavioural change.

Among the community programs that Zurich supports are: Tackle Your Feelings ^[3], delivering mental health training at community AFL clubs, The Raise Foundation ^[4], a youth mentoring organisation, and Beyond Empathy ^[5], an arts organisation that uses its influence to enrich the lives of indigenous youth.

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[1] https://mrperfect.org.au/
[2] Centre for Social Impact, 2021, Mental Health Deep Dive: https://www.csi.edu.au/research/project/building-back-better-deep-dives/
[3] https://www.tackleyourfeelings.org.au/
[4] https://raise.org.au/
[5] https://www.be.org.au/

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Karen Mundine

Zurich Australia has celebrated the launch of their inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at an employee event, timed in recognition of NAIDOC Week.

The inaugural RAP is the culmination of many months of work with Reconciliation Australia and Zurich’s community partners. It is an important step in Zurich’s journey towards driving positive, progressive actions to celebrate, connect and collaborate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their unique contributions to the communities Zurich serve in Australia.

As a leading global insurance company with a strong and long-standing Australian presence, Zurich recognises its responsibility to share resources and expertise to help build more resilient communities, adding value beyond their core business activity.

Zurich’s RAP activities over the next 12 months will include carefully scoping out the organisations, individuals and communities who we can connect with, and deepening the connections with their existing community partners. Zurich will also explore alignment of Zurich Insurance Group’s global sustainable sourcing program with the local objective to work with more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses.

Linda Griffin, Zurich Australia’s Life & Investments Head of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, said, “Our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan is a fantastic example in action of our global commitments towards gender, generational and cultural diversity.

“I’m proud to chair our RAP working group which will track our plan over the year ahead and help lay the foundation for future RAPs, so that Zurich may go beyond achieving reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and work in tandem with their communities to develop respectful relationships and create meaningful opportunities.”

Karen Mundine, CEO Reconciliation Australia, said “This Reflect RAP enables Zurich Financial Services Australia Limited to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions. Getting these first steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia’s reconciliation journey.”

In Australia, Zurich is proud to work alongside Zurich Insurance Group’s charitable foundation, the Z Zurich Foundation, to support local communities with targeted investment of key community partners including the Raise Foundation, Beyond Empathy and Tackle Your Feelings.

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Linda Griffin

Zurich Australia (Zurich) in cooperation with Zurich Insurance Group’s charitable foundation, the Z Zurich Foundation (ZZF) in Switzerland, has announced an immediate wave of community impact funding to support Australian and New Zealand charities in the wake of COVID-19.

The emergency financial support equates to an additional $1.43 million, which is being allocated to 20 different charities – some national, some with local, grassroots focus.

The funding is on top of the ~$2.28 million, which Zurich annually donates to its “hero” community programs, plus an additional ~$1 million donated by ZZF to various charities in the wake of the Australian bushfires earlier this year.

This wave of funding will be allocated to charities associated with mental and physical wellness, homeless support and food security, and domestic violence under the ZZF’s “wellbeing and inclusion” focus. They are charities that Zurich Australia, largely, has had long standing relationships with through the passion and fundraising efforts of its employees around the country – including those that support the OnePath Life brand.

One of the largest recipients of the local allocation is Foodbank Australia who will receive $1 million.  The money will help Foodbank Australia source and distribute additional essential food and grocery items to around 2,400 charities around Australia, who are experiencing a spike in demand given the economic downturn associated with COVID-19.

Brianna Casey, CEO, Foodbank Australia, said: “Foodbank has seen an unprecedented 48% increase in demand for food relief across our charity agencies. We are seeing new demographic groups who have never had to ask for food assistance before and we know this problem will not be fixed overnight.

“In the past month, we have sourced more key staple foods than in the three years prior to COVID-19. Through our established relationships with the food and grocery industry, we can turn $1 into $6 worth of food, so donations such as these allows us to effectively and efficiently purchase food to support the many people in our communities affected by COVID-19. We are so grateful to Z Zurich Foundation for this incredibly generous donation which will allow Foodbank to continue to scale up and respond to this new ‘normal’ for as long as needed,” she said.

As well as to Foodbank Australia, the funding allocation is being shared across:

• Zurich’s primary charity partners in Australia and New Zealand, being The Raise Foundation, Beyond Empathy, and Variety – the Children’s Charity.
• Smaller grants divided between the following 16 other charities: Cerebral Palsy Alliance (Steptember); Childhood Cancer Association; Fareshare; Gosford Coast Homeless Shelter, Hutt St Centre; Kids Under Cover; Mr Perfect; Orange Sky; Our Watch; Reach Foundation; Ronald McDonald House Charities; RUOK; Share the Dignity; St Kilda Mums; Twenty10; Wear It Purple

Linda Griffin, Head of Corporate Affairs and Community, said, “The intention of the funding is to help these charities navigate through the short to medium term issues arising from this crisis. Due to it, many charities are facing increased demand for their services, yet are challenged by a reduction in donations plus an inability to rely upon their volunteers in the same way, due to lockdown efforts.”

“Our efforts, both here and as a coordinated international response via the Z Zurich Foundation, are driven by a strong sense of social responsibility, and a mission to empower people to better protect themselves from risk, and to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Z Zurich Foundation’s COVID-19 disaster response aims to support hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people directly around the world

The Australian and New Zealand funding component is a part of the allocation which the Z Zurich Foundation has pledged to support COVID-19 relief in every region in which Zurich operates around the world.

The funding is intended to help existing charitable partners meet an increase in demand for their services, adapt their services to the new (mostly virtual) environment, or maintain their sustainability in the face of reduced fundraising or other revenue sources. Support is also being prioritised to nominated disaster relief initiatives, which provide support in terms of medical needs, mental health, food poverty, domestic violence or schooling (e.g. technology for home-schooling). 

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