On Tuesday morning Year 7 and 8 students at Mater Dei Catholic College were the recipients of the new, colourful 'Head Here for Health' wristbands.

Each wristband contains a QR code that takes students to a directory of mental health services.

The campaign was developed and launched by the Wagga Local Health Advisory Committee (LHAC) who identified youth mental health as an issue of particular importance they wanted to help address.

"The kids can scan that with their phones [and] they can go to that federal site and then find some answers and some solutions if they're feeling a little bit down or got some anxiety," Wagga LHAC chair Garth Hungerford said.

"Hopefully it can give them a little bit of resilience in their own life; there is so much going on."

After enduring two years of the COVID-19 pandemic students have faced increased periods of isolation while learning from home, and are now busy re-adjusting to their classroom settings.

Mr Hungerford said that this, partnered with all the "unknown" in the domestic and global climate currently, can have a significant toll on young people.

"Kids have questions; they've got access to devices, they're looking at media and social media all the time and this, we thought, fits into that," he said.

Year 12 Mater Dei captain Oscar Mitter said it's been "really draining" for students to be taken from the classroom towards a more "disjointed" form of learning at home during the pandemic.

"Coming back it's definitely put a sort of strain on any mental health [issues]," he said.

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The Wagga LHAC hopes that students in mental distress who might be afraid to reach out for in-person support can access help via the website - something they can do anonymously from the comfort of their bedroom at home.

"It's really confronting for people to go and ask for help, especially as a young person," Year 12 sport captain Olivia Hosie said.

"I think with the fear of being judged, especially in high school, it's a great idea."

Along with Mater Dei, four more local high schools will receive the wristbands including Kildare Catholic College, Bidgee School, Kooringal High School and Wagga Christian College.

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