How does Reach Out work with young people?

In 2009 Reach Out rolled out a new Youth Involvement Program which will see even more young people getting involved and steering Reach Out into the future!

We have many different ways you can get involved:

Online youth involvement

Become a member of our youth involvement online forums to be the first to have your say on new features of Reach Out. There are also many other opportunities on offer, including:

• Generate and comment on new ideas for the service
• Promote Reach Out in your local community
• Directly contribute towards and develop content on the Reach Out site
• Represent Reach Out at events
• Take up other opportunities such as moderating the ROtreat forums, becoming a Reach Out Youth Ambassador and mentoring new members of the youth involvement program.
• Gain training, skills and support for Reach Out related activities.
• Participating in online and face-to-face workshops.

We want you!

Anyone between the ages of 14 - 25 can get involved! Go to the Get Involved section to register to become a Youth Ambassador and gain access to the Youth Involvement forum!

Internship program

We have an internship program for students who are interested in working in the sector. We have flexible intern opportunities which can span across the areas of marketing, IT, psychology and many others. Please drop nikki (nikki@inspire.org.au) an email if you’re interested!

Special Projects

Throughout the year, Reach Out will put a call out for different young people who might be interested in working on a specific project. These projects may vary in length of involvement time, level of commitment, online and offline training, skills and experience. Stay tuned to “Current Opportunities” to find out more about up and coming opportunities.

What is Reach Out's history of working directly with young people?

Reach Out has worked alongside young people since our launch in 1998. The money donated by young triple j listeners via the triple j Reach Out Real Appeal ensured that this important service for young people became a reality. From the get-go young people have contributed their skills, ideas and feedback to ensure Reach Out is an effective and relevant service for other young people. Reach Out has continued to work alongside young people using different forms of participation.

Reach Out Youth Advisory Boards (ROYABs)

Reach Out Youth Advisory Boards were conducted nationally between 1998 – 2008, to hear what young people thought of Reach Out and how it could reach and have a positive impact on fellow young people.

Youth Ambassador (YA) program

Since the introduction of the Youth Ambassador Program in 2000, Youth Ambassadors have engaged in a range of activities – from creating content and feeding back on new features for the site, to raising awareness of Reach Out, to representing Reach Out at conferences, and a whole lot more. Youth Ambassadors have been in the Reach Out driver’s seat and continue to steer Reach Out forward in the right direction.

The Reach Out Youth Leaders (ROYL) program

The Reach Out Youth Leaders program began in 2005 to further Youth Ambassadors' leadership responsibilities within the Reach Out community. ROYLs have been trained to mentor new Youth Ambassadors and moderate the Reach Out Community Forums and have played a vital role in creating the positive environment the community has today.

The internship program

The internship program, which commenced in 2006, has given students the opportunity to experience working in the sector while focusing on large scale Reach Out projects aligned with their studies. The knowledge and experience they have brought to Reach Out has had an invaluable impact on the Reach Out service.