Prevention United

As Prevention United Youth Ambassadors, our voices are finally being heard. – Emily and Jasmine

As young people, our voices are often ignored or overlooked in conversations that directly impact us. We hear phrases like “you’re the future”, but we rarely get the chance to be involved in the decisions that shape our lives. Prevention United completely changed this for us! Being a part of the Prevention United Youth Ambassador Group has been one of the most empowering experiences of our lives. For many of us, this was the first time we felt genuinely listened to – not just as individuals, but as a generation. Prevention United gave us a voice on the real issues that young people are facing. It wasn’t just tokenism. Youth perspectives are embedded across all of Prevention United’s work, from campaign planning to policy development.

The national conversation around the impact of social media on youth mental health is a great example. As part of our advocacy work, we helped shape Prevention United’s position on this critical issue. Using our own lived experiences in an area that significantly impacts us and our peers, we guided discussions around age restrictions, screen time, and responsible use. Prevention United gave us the opportunity to lead our own projects in the youth mental health space. Last year, we designed and launched a National Youth Mental Health Survey – aiming to bring even more young voices to the fore. We promoted the survey through media and social channels, analysed the data, and used the results to inform our work. Through this project, we gained experience in media outreach, data collection and policy engagement. Most importantly, we grew our confidence.

The response was overwhelming. The findings of our survey helped fuel new conversations with professionals, policymakers, and the media. We were invited to speak at forums and events and given the chance to advocate for something deeply personal: better mental health outcomes for all young Australians.