Taylor finds her voice to ensure others don't feel alone
Browns Plains teen Taylor Koopman knows what it feels like to struggle quietly. As a young person navigating anxiety and mental health challenges, she often wished there were clearer signs around her saying: you are not alone.
That deeply personal experience became the spark for the Talk Louder Project, an initiative Taylor founded in 2025 to encourage open, honest conversations about youth mental health in a safe digital space.
While social media is often criticised for its impact on mental health, Taylor believes it can allow real connection and is a space where young people can share stories, coping strategies and messages of encouragement.
‘I know what it’s like to have mental health challenges and it can feel very isolating,’ Taylor, 16, says. ‘That’s why I wanted to help others who think they are all alone.’
‘Young people often feel pressured to appear okay even when they are not, and through my Talk Louder Project I hope to normalise asking for help and to remind others that struggling doesn’t make you weak – it makes you human.’
Above: Kirsty Everett says she’s proud her daughter, Taylor Koopmans, is using her lived experience of battling mental health to help others feel less alone.
This year, Taylor’s vision has grown beyond the digital space into something tangible and visible. She is now creating mental health support walls, which are welcoming public spaces where people can leave handwritten messages of hope, encouragement and compassion for others to read.
During the Easter school holidays, Taylor hosted a pop-up support wall at Logan Hyperdome, sparking conversations with the community around mental health and wellbeing.
Logan City Council recently offered Taylor a space for messages of support at its Wembley Road Customer Service Centre and colourful notes of positivity now adorn the space opposite the service counters.
Taylor is now calling on Logan businesses, schools, and community groups to help her take this even further by providing a wall or space in their venue for a mental health support wall.
Above: Taylor Koopmans recently installed one of her mental health support walls at Logan City Council’s Wembley Road’s Customer Service Centre.
It’s hoped she can populate simple spaces across the city with uplifting and powerful messages that could change a young person’s day – or even save their life.
Beyond her advocacy, Taylor participates in pageantry and is one of 15 finalists who will compete in the Teen sector of The Australia Galaxy Pageant in Sydney at the beginning of May. She credits being involved in pageants with building her confidence and giving her a platform she chooses to use with purpose.
‘It’s never been about titles for me, it’s about using whatever platform I have to help others,’ Taylor says.
Motivated by personal growth and gratitude, Taylor’s goal is simple but powerful: ‘To help even one young person feel less alone than I did’.
You can find out more about Taylor’s work by visiting her Instagram account, the Talk Louder Project.
PHOTO AT TOP: Browns Plain teenager Taylor Koopmans set up the Talk Louder Project to help other young people feel less alone.