Events

"Altus traffic we (Altus traffic), reached out to Sean Weir from The Shaka Project in late 2021 to form a partnership with the view to share Sean's story, how The Shaka Project came to be, and continue to ignite the mental health conversation with our teams around the country. It was after a few of our own traffic controllers had shared The Shaka Project on their instagram pages that this sparked our interest. At the end of 2021 all our staff received a Shaka shirt. Our team's love to wear a brand and promote a good cause and by being able to give a Shaka shirt to over 2000 Altus traffic employees across the country allows them to feel a sense of solidarity with each other. Through Sean’s story they know that by wearing a Shaka shirt they are allowing people to come up to them and talk about their own mental health. To date Sean has seen our teams in WA, TAS, SA and QLD. At each session, there has been at least 1 or 2 people that Sean’s story has had a  significant impact on which has sparked further conversation with them or their family. It’s been great to see the impact Sean and The Shaka Project has had on our staff and we hope to continue having the conversation with the rest of our teams around the country.” - Claire Agnew, Altus Traffic

“Would highly recommend having Sean speak at your event, club or workplace. It is a raw, honest and relatable presentation. It is nice to see a speaker that has actually gone through what they are talking about rather than just being educated in it. Everyone from Senior Management to our teams out in the field were really impressed with the content and our staff were buzzing after the event. Thanks Sean.” - Narelle Merrett, Tim Davies Landscaping

“Sean did an amazing job speaking to our male students for Men's Mental Health Week about mental health awareness and we can't wait to have him back for another presentation.” - Josh Johnson, Darling Range Sports College 

“The presentation was well received by the ship's members and I believe the message of the Shaka Project really resonated with them. The crew was engaged and I do think these conversations are really breaking the ice when it comes to talking about mental health.” - Claudia Williver, Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Brisbane 

“Sean was well spoken and hit the nail on the head with some of his presentations! Showed why (most importantly) and how it's so easy to just talk and start conversations love your work.” - Daron McElroy, West Gambier Football Netball Club

“The Shaka Project did a great job speaking at our event which was held in memory of a member who took his life earlier in the year. Sean spoke well and provided a lot of information about the importance of mens mental health and suicide prevention. He engaged well with his audience and showed a great deal of passion. Highly recommend The Shaka Project to anyone wanting the get the message out there about mental health and suicide prevention.” - Nea Barclay,  Heywood Golf Club

“Sean's presentation is extremely informative and emotive. He is very relaxed and relatable and his story certainly resonated with the diverse group of individuals within our organisation. Feedback I have been given and the conversations I have overheard since our event have confirmed that engaging Sean to tell us his story and share The Shaka Project with us was the right call!” - Casey McClymont, Gwydir Shire Council

“The event was fantastic for our Young Men who had attended the session. The session was very thought provoking for them and encouraged them to think about themselves and how they can better support those around them. The boys all came out of the session with positive feedback and fresh outlook on mental health. The session was the perfect length for engagement of teens. Sean was able to engage them, promote thought amongst them and able to have them input their own thoughts without having to push them.” - Laura Jones, Kari Foundation

“Sean, as a person you are such a strong bloke with such determination to make life better for others and I admire that. As for the presentation, it did not change a thing, it was perfect. Sean was absolutely amazing. You could've heard a pin drop in the room and he captivated everyone within the first minute of speaking. It takes such courage to speak about mental health but sharing his own personal battles was eye opening and something that everyone should hear. We will be getting Sean back at the end of the season to touch base and hopefully capture more hearts and share his battles and resources with those who unfortunately missed out.” - Kaitlyn Horrigan, South Gambier Football Club

“Fantastic information, true facts and I believe everyone got a little something out of it and opened a few eyes.” - Brad Dixon, Sure Construction 

“I found Sean's presentation was honest, raw, engaging and delivered with such courage. His passion for the Shaka project and what he's trying to achieve is not only commendable but believable. That we can make a difference if we continue to ignite the conversation. Thank-you Sean (Shaka Project) for breaking the ice.” - Kelli Holtham Felini, Ararat Eagles Football Club

“Sean's presentation was raw and emotional. It certainly brought to light how important mental health is particularly in younger men. It was informative and he engaged the whole club . I have only received hugely positive feedback from players and coaches who attended.” - Andrea Summer, Ararat Rats Football Club

"The presentation was so special and had us captivated throughout the entire duration. I commend your strength and openness in being so raw and real with your own story and sharing that with complete strangers. The delivery of such an important message was so relatable to all age groups within the room and it was so evident that everyone was engaged throughout. With the recent suicides in our community, this conversation was so timely and I can already see how beneficial this was to our players and members - by breaking down those walls and reassuring them that it's okay to talk about it publicly. Personally, I feel more motivated than ever to continue these conversations within this football club. Again, Thank-you so much for being part of our journey to a mentally healthier and happier community. Wishing you all the best for the future of the Shaka Project - you're doing amazing things guys and I cannot recommend you more highly." - Jessica Chandler, Langhorne Creek Football Club

"Such a worthwhile and important conversation to have with our young adults, and a reminder that it just takes the smallest kindness to make a big impact. The students were highly engaged, lots of positive comments afterwards" - Joe Logan, Portland Secondary College

"The Shaka Project was fantastic with Murrayville Community College. Sean was able to engage our students positively to have insight as to what can happen if we ignore the signs of mental ill health. He spoke about the old stigma of pushing our feelings down and instead encouraged us to create a pathway for a new revitalised process of being vulnerable and reaching out. The highlight being kindness and looking out for our peers. The students walked away with a lot of insight, inspiration to be there for one another and were able to touch base with the Mental Health Practitioner at the school and ask for help." - Lauren Deaves, Murrayville Community College

"At the Murrayville Sports Hub the community were able to actively listen to Sean's story, his journey and how we was able to turn his life around. Following this, a discussion followed about the signs to look out for if people are not okay, including positive mental health practises that can shape and change our lives. Steps to understanding how to start the conversation were demonstrated. The community were able to thank Sean and they share their stories, paving the way for healing through empathy and understanding. As a result of this talk the footy club coach asked the local Mental Health Practitioner to come and do a talk pre-game for the boys that missed the presentation earlier that week. Sean helped Murrayville Community to understand how we can all work together, spread the work and ignite the conversation.The most important message to potentially change someone's mindset, to change someone's day, to save someone's life."  - Lauren Deaves, Murrayville Sports Hub

"A fantastic presentation, thank you Sean. Speaking to a very broad age group from 14-50+ and you achieved everyone's full attention and respect. So much positive feedback within the club. Thank you for sharing your story and creating a presentation so raw, heart felt and relatable to our community. We have all walked away with more knowledge and hopefully confidence to break down those walls and create conversation around mental health. We will highly recommend Sean and The Shaka Project, thank you and all the best!" - Jackie Deacon, Myponga Sellicks Football Club