Mike King: I Am Hope
- Written by
- Deepika Sulekh
Travelling the country from Bluff to Cape Reinga atop Suzuki 50cc scooters during March, Mike King and his mates covered 8,000 km over 67 locations talking to more than 20,000 schoolkids and adults about mental health, and how every one of us can be the hope that someone needs. To find out more, we caught up with Mike after the tour…
Tell us about I Am Hope.
I Am Hope came about with the idea of spreading a message of hope to young people. 80% of kids who have a major crisis in their life never ask for help because they don’t know who is safe to talk to and are worried about being judged.
So we began talking to them – about depression, suicide and other mental health issues. As part of this we created an identifier that someone is safe – our wristband, which signifies to anyone that you won’t judge, gossip, ask questions or try and fix someone, but instead will offer unconditional love and hope.
We first launched in 2017 in schools and the uptake was remarkable, almost like something people were crying out for. We then decided it needs to be much bigger, so we planned the national tour.
What was your main goal for the tour?
The whole Key to Life Charitable Trust goal is to empower young people and come up with solutions to their problems. Previously, every conference I went to, to identify problems with young people, had no young people attending, but adults talking about youth’s problems and how to solve them.
We never knew what young people’s problems were because we never talked to them, so the purpose of this tour was to talk to them, help them identify their problems, because they felt like they’re not being heard and nobody’s listening to them, which has helped us create a platform where they can safely put forward their solutions and we can use our resources and connections to make them happen.
What was the response like here in Taupō?
It was packed. Fantastic. We came off the Desert Road after a four-hour ride, saturated, cold and wet, but were instantly warmed by the people and support there. The feedback and enthusiasm was overwhelming.
What do you love about Taupō?
I have always loved playing at the Wairakei Golf course, public and private, both are magnificent. I’ve been coming to Taupō since the 1960s, and over that time, even with the build-up of tourism, it’s still got that unique flavour to it and never lost its rural Taupō feel. There’s always something to do, you’re spoilt for choice.