All year eight students in Wangaratta are set to receive mental health training funded by a $54,000 donation from Project 365.

The Wangaratta-based mental health initiative's largest donation to date will go to the Youth Schools Project, which is also set to train 27 teachers and staff members thanks to support from WASP (Wangaratta Area Suicide Prevention).

The program will be delivered to 440 students across Galen Catholic College, Wangaratta High School, Cathedral College Wangaratta and Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership by Nick McEwan Hall from The Mental Health Coach, and is believed to be the first of its kind in regional Victoria.

Training kicked off this week, and will be rolled out to students in coming months.

The funds from Project 365 were raised through the group's events, which are supported by its community of 'believers', and the group is enthusiastic about investing this money back into the city's young people.

"This is a huge step towards creating those pillars of support for young people," Project 365 founder Pete Rourke said.

He said the aim of the project was to reach young people earlier, and to give them the tools to understand their mental health, the confidence to ask for help when they need it, and the skills to recognise when a friend may be struggling.

The $54,000 support package was announced on Saturday night at Project 365's latest event, its gala ball held at the Wangaratta Turf Club.

Board member Cynthia Andrews said the project evolved through an approach from WASP about assisting youth, which aligned with Project 365's values and mission.

The donation follows a $50,000 contribution from Project 365 in May towards a partnership with Gateway Health aimed at supporting the continuation and growth of a peer-led mental health program for young people across Wangaratta and its surrounds.

This program, which launched in 2024, had been at risk due to the conclusion of pilot funding before the group stepped in to assist.

Ms Andrews said it had been decided that year eight was the best target age for mental health training through the Youth Schools Project.

She said it was the stage when the interaction of young people with others increased, and they could also take their knowledge back to their own families and connections - further boosting the value of the program.