To be delivered through ReachOut.com Professionals, Australian teachers and school communities will soon have a new resource available to them for supporting young people to effect local change.

Drawing on learnings from Inspire Foundation’s ActNow program (now retired), ReachOut Local Leaders will see a total of 140 students participate in online and face-to-face workshops teaching knowledge and skills for making change locally on issues that affect their lives.

Funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), ReachOut Local Leaders (ROLL) currently involves 7 schools across Campbelltown, Liverpool and Parramatta in NSW, and Geraldton in WA.

Under the project, two-day face to face workshops explore leadership and project management and the practical application of these skills. During the workshops, students explore the issues they see as important in their community and gain exposure to local services that can support their action - including the ReachOut Youth Ambassador Program. Building on the ActNow program, students are guided in planning and executing a personal project with the aim of creating positive local change.

Schools are being supported to deliver the project through the recently redeveloped ReachOut.com Professionals, ensuring teachers have access to ongoing professional development resources regarding youth mental health and wellbeing. In addition, two face-to-face school visits by the ReachOut.com Professionals team offer assistance to schools in facilitating students to achieve the goals planned in their projects.

Further support in delivering the teaching resources is provided via a webinar developed in partnership with the R U OK? Foundation, which covers how to contact the media and the best methods for spreading a message.

The life of the resources past the project’s end date in 2014 is assured as the resources will be made available on ReachOut.com Professionals for all Australian schools to download and deliver independently.

To be the first to hear about the ReachOut Local Leaders resource when it is made available in 2014, sign up for the ReachOut.com Professionals newsletter.