Jordan Liberty

This is the film I wish I had watched when Jordan was still alive. It responds to Australia’s youth suicide crisis by centring lived experience and shared connection, particularly in regional and remote communities where access to support is limited.

Told through a father’s journey alongside young people navigating grief, identity, and early adulthood, the film explores the pressures facing young Australians today, including social media, bullying, anxiety, depression, and the isolating impacts of COVID-19. It also examines challenges around parenting across distance, co-parenting, and the loss of connection that can occur through family breakdown.

Rather than seeking simple explanations, the film creates space for honest conversation about mental health, generational trauma, and gaps in rural support systems. By placing young people’s voices at the centre, Jordan Liberty highlights the urgent need for early intervention, compassion, and community-led pathways to healing.

Our vision is to spark meaningful national conversations that lead to tangible change, including better support for struggling young people, stronger mental health resources in rural communities, and more child-centred approaches to family separation and co-parenting. Jordan Liberty aims to empower young people, parents, educators, and decision-makers to listen more closely, speak more openly, and act with greater compassion.

More than a film, Jordan Liberty is a catalyst for connection and understanding. Through a deeply personal yet shared journey, the project sheds light on Australia’s youth mental health crisis, the realities of regional care, and the importance of early, community-led intervention. By amplifying lived experience rather than statistics alone, the film seeks to reduce stigma, break silence around suicide and bullying,

At its heart, Jordan Liberty carries a simple yet powerful message: Be kind. To yourself and others. Listen, support, and act before it’s too late.

This is the film I wish I had watched, both when Jordan moved in with me after an attempted suicide, and during the years I was an estranged father while she was living in Perth. It is shaped by the fear and uncertainty many parents feel when they are worried about the mental health of their teenage children, and unsure how to help, particularly as fathers.

Through Jordan Liberty, I hope to create space for more honest and compassionate conversations between young people, parents, and communities. I have seen how giving young people space to express themselves can be a powerful catalyst for healing. Teenagers are often unaware of how their words and actions affect peers who are already struggling, while parents can feel powerless.

The film also acknowledges the strain on mental health services, especially in regional and remote areas where support is limited. By sharing lived experience, the project aims to raise awareness and encourage more connected care.

I have an established relationship with the Broken Hill community, grounded in lived experience and long-term creative and community work. Through Jordan Liberty, I am working with local and national organisations including the Royal Flying Doctor Service, confirmed as an impact partner. RFDS will accompany the journey and support the project behind and in front of the camera.I have also engaged with Lifeline and headspace to help inform the project and ensure safe, ethical approaches to youth mental health storytelling and community engagement.

Jordan’s friends in Broken Hill have already participated in initial filming and remain involved in development through existing relationships and trust. Family members across Broken Hill and Western Australia are also connected to the project. These relationships provide direct access to young people, families, and professionals, ensuring the project is grounded, collaborative, and community-led.

Centred on the mantra “Be Kind: to yourself and others,” The Jordan Liberty Project calls for compassion and action around youth mental health.

The project speaks first to young people, encouraging them to look out for one another, recognise the impact of words and online behaviour, challenge bullying, and seek support when they are struggling. It aims to create space for honest expression and connection.

For parents and carers, the film calls for deeper listening, earlier conversations about mental health, and prioritising children’s wellbeing, particularly within complex family and co-parenting situations.

For mental health professionals and educators, the project supports trauma-informed, community-based approaches and advocates for stronger resourcing, especially in regional and remote areas.

More broadly, Jordan Liberty calls on communities and media to reduce stigma and support help-seeking. At its core, it is a call to listen, care, and act with empathy.