At the recent 16th birthday event for ReachOut.com we celebrated the incredible contribution that young volunteers make to our service.
 
Driven by a belief that young people have a right to be involved in making decisions that affect their lives, young people have been a part of developing ReachOut.com since its inception. By engaging young people so closely in the service, we ensure that it is relevant and meaningful in their lives, meets their mental health needs, and helps them to trust that it can help them.
 
The ReachOut.com Youth Involvement Program creates opportunities for young people to contribute to ReachOut.com in a range of ways:
 

• Over 70 Youth Ambassadors across Australia raise awareness of ReachOut.com in their local community and play a key advisory role in service delivery.


• Up to 20 Youth Moderators play a crucial role in making the ReachOut.com Online Community a safe place for young people across Australia to get support from their peers.


• The Youth Editorial Board reviews all new ReachOut.com before it is published, checking that the language and content reflect young people‚Äôs needs.


• Following best-practice online service development, young people co-create new features on ReachOut.com through participatory design processes, meaning that functionality matches what young people expect and captures the latest innovations.


• Not only do they review all content, but young people contribute their own personal stories, feature articles, photography and short films to help other young people visiting ReachOut.com through tough times.

 
In March 2014 seventeen remarkable young people graduated from our Youth Ambassador program, having volunteered their time to ReachOut.com for a combined total of more than 55 years and leaving an indelible mark on our service. Thank you.
 
ReachOut.com Youth Ambassador Graduates 2014:
 

• Lauren Breen


• Jialiang Chin


• Chenae Doust


• Jessica Dumble


• Sasha Garner


• Noelle Graham


• Jordan Hammond


• Krystal Hancock


• Isabella Kaiser


• Taylah Kleid


• Lauren Moss


• Matt O'Connor


• Michael Quach


• Brooke Sachs


• Dilini Siriwardena


• Michael Tran


• Lia Ursich