A father’s love: 1000km tribute walk to raise money for son took his own life
The father of a talented young basketball player who tragically took his own life is walking from Melbourne to Sydney to help stop youth suicide.
South East
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A Cranbourne father is walking 1000km — from Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra — in memory of his son, Oyiti, a talented basketballer who took his own life.
Nyibil Amum hopes his trek brings awareness to mental health, youth suicide prevention and the necessity for more services and support for young people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Mr Amum, a mental health support worker for ermha365, is from South Sudan, and moved to Australia with his young family in 2002.
“Many young people like Oyiti feel lost and hopeless in today’s world. They have come to believe that they are disenfranchised and worthless,” Mr Amum said.
The grief of losing Oyiti weighed heavily on the Amum family, motivating Mr Amum to advocate further for support and open conversations about mental health.
His aim is to encourage young people, like his son, to feel safe and supported enough to see help.
“This problem is even more complex among young people from diverse and multicultural backgrounds like my community, who are relatively new in Australia,” he said.
Oyiti was just 23 when he took his own life in 2021.
He was a talented basketball player for the Casey Cavaliers, Dandenong Rangers and the Red Roo Sports Basketball Club.
He had a promising career ahead of him, going to the US in 2019 for a two-year scholarship to play basketball for the Northeast Community College in Nebraska.
Oyiti had returned home early in 2020 due to the pandemic, which led to a decline in his mental health.
“There are some stigmas about mental health that present barriers for people, especially from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to seek support,” Mr Amum said.
“I am determined to smash those stigmas.”
Mr Amum’s “Walk for Oyiti” (Walk of Hope), is taking him through Australian communities, from Melbourne to Canberra and then to Sydney over four weeks.
Mr Amum wants to facilitate conversations about mental health and suicide awareness for young people along the way.
The Amum family have established a foundation in memory of Oyiti, the Oyiti Foundation for Multicultural Youth.
Mr Amum hopes this foundation enables mental health support for youth from culturally diverse communities.
Mr Amum began his walk on Monday, March 7 from Parliament House in Melbourne, and is encouraging people to follow his journey here.
People can also support Mr Amum’s advocacy via the Walk for Oyiti Go Fund Me page.