Jack Farrell, 16, knows the triggers when his mental health is slipping.
"When I don't exercise, I find that my mental health declines," he said.
"When I'm active and I'm exercising, and I'm eating well and I'm training, it makes me feel really good."
The grade 10 student knows only too well the devastating consequences of poor mental health, having lost multiple family members to suicide.
"It's really important for blokes to open up about it," he said.
"It's not just sitting down and having a real heavy, deep chat.
"It's exercising, having a laugh, having some fun, and then getting a little bit more serious and opening up about things to each other."
Jack is one of 18 young men participating in a government-funded, trauma-informed boxing program, designed to equip high-school students with the tools to deal with the challenges life throws their way.
Run out of G-Training boxing gym in Alice Springs, the Making a Difference (MAD) program forms part of a suite of projects being rolled out under the Northern Territory government's suicide prevention strategy.
Battling the highest suicide rates of all Australian jurisdictions, a monumental task lies ahead for the Northern Territory, as its government sets out to reduce the suicide rate by half over the next 10 years.
Trainer Steve Gardiner, who is running the program for the third consecutive year, says he often sees a remarkable turnaround in the students over the course of the program.
"The research shows they're more likely talk to their peers about issues that are happening, rather than going to a mental health worker," he said.
"It's all about feeling comfortable with themselves … and asking the question, 'Are you okay?'
"They often come in really shy … and don't want to engage, whereas now you can see them engaging, and they feel confident asking those questions that they need to ask."
The sessions combine sparring and pads and bag work, alongside discussions about mental-health determinants like eating right, getting enough sleep, and limiting screen time.
As part of the eight-week program, students from local public schools Centralian Middle School and Centralian Senior College partner up across different year levels, helping the younger students make new connections as they transition into their final years of high school.
A boxing teacher for over two decades, Mr Gardiner said the combat sport had been instrumental in helping him get through tough times.
"It releases those endorphins, every time you come in here and hit the bags or the pads, you're doing it with like-minded people … and working towards a common goal," Mr Gardiner said.
"I've had people from all kinds of backgrounds come in here, and sometimes they're really struggling, but when they leave, they leave satisfied.
"This is about de-stressing from your life."
Federal government data from 2021 paints a bleak picture: 18.4 people are lost to suicide for every 100,000 people in the Northern Territory — a rate almost double that of Victoria.
Among young people aged 15-24, suicide is the leading cause of death, with males about three times more likely to die by suicide than females.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who make up a third of the Northern Territory's population, are twice as likely to take their own lives compared to the rest of the population.
Built on three platforms — respect, resilience, and relationships — the boxing program has seen strong community involvement, welcoming talks from serving police officers, a Headspace psychologist, and a local cultural advisor.
For Centralian Senior College maths teacher Matt Skoss, seeing the students engaging positively with one another has been a rewarding experience.
"One of the big messages is about just being there for your mates," he said.
"Resiliency certainly feeds into suicide prevention, which is a really important part of it all, and it's a big challenge for kids in this complex world."
While Mr Skoss does not teach most of the students directly, he said his relationships with the boys had also improved since their first session in October.
"I see them around school frequently and we stop and have a chat," he said.
"I can see a buoyancy in them, and it comes from contact with another person.
"That fable of 'it takes a village to raise a child' — I think that's a really important approach to take in a small community like Alice Springs."
