headspace Katoomba Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) Member, Voluntary, NSW - Katoomba YAC

Salary: 20/hr

Role Summary

YAC members contribute to a range of activities at headspace Katoomba where they provide their ideas, feedback, and advice and share their expertise as young people.

They provide their views and thoughts as a young person to help the running, planning, design, delivery and on-going improvement of headspace Katoomba.

During their term, YAC members are required to attend monthly meetings with the other YAC members and provide their insights into planning and development for headspace and other partnering services.

During their term YAC members are also encouraged to: attend interviews for headspace Katoomba to give your youth perspective, attend events run by headspace or partnering services to promote mental health wellbeing, represent headspace in the community as an inclusive, youth friendly service, provide content for social media posts to inform other young people about upcoming events and/or activities, speak publicly about the benefits of help seeking and attend workshops or groups to help raise awareness and reduce stigma.

YAC members are supported in their role through orientation and training, regular check ins with the Community Development Coordinator and Wellness Plans.

The YAC is supported by the Community Development Coordinator and works closely with the headspace Katoomba Team. 

When the YAC is consulted by any member of the headspace Katoomba Team, the YAC will be updated at a later date on the outcome of the consultation.

To join the YAC, we ask you to:

• Have an interest in or passion for youth mental health and issues affecting young people 
• Be able to work in a team and participate in group discussions as well as working independently and having good communication skills 
• Be motivated, willing and committed to participate on an ongoing basis
• Have something to say about mental health and other youth issues
• Know how to balance your wellbeing and your other responsibilities like school/work/university/family with the demands of the YAC position (remembering that support is available)
• Have consistent access to the internet and phone - YAC members use email, Facebook and Discord to communicate. (If this is an issue let us know, adjustments can be made)
• Be aged between 12 and 25 years at the time of application
• Respect the other YAC members
• Show proof of Covid vaccination or medical exemption from vaccination
• Get your Working with Children Check (if over 16) and Police Checks (if over 18) – talk to us about how you can do this for free.

In return, we will:

• Provide you with training to help you:
  • discuss your lived experience in a safe and comfortable way
  • run meetings and take meeting minutes
  • create social media posts
  • understand the headspace model
  • put on events
  • run activities
  • deliver presentations in the community
  • and more.

• Organise the venue and snacks for each meeting
• Help run the monthly meetings and take a written record of each one
• Develop a Wellbeing Plan for each YAC member
• Invite members to attend:
  • Team, Management and Consortium (i.e. partners) meetings
  • participate in interview panels
  • attend activities and presentations
  • plan events
  • participate in headspace campaigns
• Invite members to be involved in community education activities, or as media spokespeople on the issue of youth mental health and well-being
• Give members an option to speak at public functions or at local schools, mental health forums, conferences and similar events
• Ask YAC members to consult on headspace programs and service delivery.
• Provide all members with a YAC Certificate and be a character reference if needed.

If you are interested in joining the headspace Katoomba Youth Advisory Committee, please complete the Expression of Interest Form:

Feel free to reach out to Jo if you have any questions (details below).

Download the headspace Katoomba Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) Member Expression of Interest Form

Complete the Expression of Interest Form, headspace Katoomba, recruiting Youth Advisory Committee

Over 18? Ask us about the Family and Friends Committee
A group of family and friends who provide input on headspace services and advocate for family, friends, carers and those who are a part of headspace.

For more information contact:

Name: Jo McClelland Phillips
Phone: 0432 833 348
Email: jmcclellandphillips@uniting.org

Apply now