{"id":745948,"date":"2026-06-18T22:41:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/745948\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T22:41:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T22:41:12","slug":"shorts-day-returns-for-sixth-year-with-new-mental-health-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/745948\/","title":{"rendered":"Shorts Day returns for sixth year with new mental health focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of Tasmanians are being urged to brave the cold and wear shorts this Friday, with the annual mental health campaign shifting its focus toward creating safe spaces for honest conversations.<\/p>\n

Shorts Day, now in its sixth year, invites workplaces, schools, sporting clubs and communities to show some leg as a way of encouraging people to have mental health conversations.<\/p>\n

This year, the campaign run by SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY is asking Tasmanians to think less about whether they are having conversations and more about whether the spaces around them make people feel safe enough to open up.<\/p>\n

Founder Mitch McPherson said awareness of mental health has grown significantly, but creating the right conditions for meaningful conversations remains a major challenge.<\/p>\n

\"\"SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY founder Mitch McPherson is urging Tasmanians to create safe spaces for conversations. Image \/ Richard Jupe<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, we\u2019ve encouraged people to ask the question, check in, and start the conversation, that message still matters deeply, but what we\u2019ve learned is that conversations about mental health don\u2019t happen simply because we ask them to,\u201d McPherson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey happen when people feel safe enough to answer honestly, when people feel supported, respected and free from judgement, conversations happen naturally. That\u2019s what we\u2019re focusing on this Shorts Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Organisers are hoping for even bigger numbers than last year\u2019s turnout. Image \/ Richard Jupe<\/p>\n

He said mental health conversations are powerful because they create connection and reduce stigma, but they also require trust, time and the right environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the most powerful thing we can offer someone isn\u2019t the perfect words. It\u2019s a space where they feel ready to say their own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

RACT has returned as the major sponsor of the event.<\/p>\n

RACT Group CEO Mark Mugnaioni said Tasmanians are known for looking out for one another.<\/p>\n

\"\"A free community event will be held at the RACT car park on Murray Street in Hobart. Image \/ Richard Jupe<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us have experienced a tough day, tough week or tough time, and having someone take a moment to listen can mean more than we realise,\u201d Mugnaioni said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a small state and that closeness is one of our greatest strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s about making sure people feel seen, supported, and not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A free community event will be held in Hobart from 6am to 10am at the RACT car park on Murray Street, featuring a barbecue breakfast, free coffees, mental health resources, giveaways and family-friendly games.<\/p>\n

\"\"Shorts Day is now in its sixth year of encouraging mental health conversations. Image \/ Richard Jupe<\/p>\n

Those wearing shorts or Shorts Day merchandise can enter a prize draw featuring a $1,000 gift card and RACT driving lesson packages.<\/p>\n

More than 23,000 Tasmanians took part in Shorts Day last year, with organisers hoping for even bigger numbers this time around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of Tasmanians are being urged to brave the cold and wear shorts this Friday, with the annual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":745949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":["post-745948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=745948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/745948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/745949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=745948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=745948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=745948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}