What is hY NRG:

• Paid casual role for 20 diverse young people aged 16-25 from across Australia
• Young people who have been involved with a headspace centre or another support service
• 18 month term starting August 2023
• Regular online and in person meetings, workshops and training

You’ll get to:

• Share your expertise and lived experience to inform headspace’s work
• Participate and be involved in shaping headspace campaigns, projects and programs on youth mental health
• Develop skills and experience in public speaking, media, project management, advocacy, safe storytelling and facilitation
• Connect with a community of likeminded young people across the country

What’s involved?

• Monthly online meetings with the Participation and other hY NRG members
• In-person meetings in Melbourne (3-5 days) - approximately every six months, don’t worry, we’ll give you lots of notice and all your travel costs are covered by headspace!
• Participating in a range of internal projects, working groups, consultations, committees and media campaigns
• Staying connected through online communications - group chats, email, video calls and texts

You can read more about the current hY NRG members here.

 Key dates

• Applications re-open: Monday 30 January 2023
• Applications close: 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 14 May 2023
• Shortlisting and booking interviews:  May 2023
• Interviews and reference checks: June and July 2023
• hY NRG 2023/24 begins:  August 2023 

There are many opportunities for hY NRG members to get involved with! You don't need to have previous experience, and headspace will provide training and support for you to take part.

A few of the different opportunities you could be part of on hY NRG include: 

• collaborating in working groups on national campaigns like headspace Day
• contributing to headspace programs like Work and Study or Schools and Communities
• doing local or national media interviews
• giving feedback on website and social media improvements
• collaborating on content series for mental health literacy
• speaking at state or national conferences on youth mental health
• contributing to mental health fact sheets or articles for the headspace website
• plus heaps more!

The great thing about the hY NRG role is it's flexible! You can structure it around your schedule – whether you’re at school or working part time. It’s super easy to balance with your other commitments and doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

There are so many benefits to being on hY NRG!

• Get paid to contribute your expertise and lived experience on youth mental health
• Contribute to shaping headspace services, programs and campaigns
• Opportunity to travel within Australia to participate in training, workshops or campaigns
• Training in advocacy, safe storytelling, public speaking, media, project management, facilitation skills
• Attending national or state conferences around Australia for professional development
• Networking with youth advocates and professionals within the youth mental health sector
• Representing your local community at a national level
• Being able to set your own workload around other commitments (with some minimum requirements)
• The opportunity to meet like-minded and passionate young people from all around Australia

You can apply for the hY NRG role if you are a young person who is:

• aged between 16 and 25 years at the time of application  
• passionate about youth mental health
• have a connection to or been involved with a headspace or another support service or program within the last 12 months (this could include attending a headspace centre, being a part of a local Youth Reference Group, being a part of the headspace Work and Study Online service, online career mentoring service, or accessed support via eheadspace and/or a service within your school, TAFE or uni, local GP, private counselling or other youth mental health service) 
• available and willing to take part in all parts of being on hY NRG for an 18-month term
• has or is willing to obtain a valid Working with Children’s Check (or equivalent) and undergo a Police check.  

We are keen to hear from young people from all backgrounds and life experiences, including young people who:

• Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander,
• Are from multicultural background,
• Identify as LGBTQIA+,
• Are living with a disability or chronic illness,
• Have lived experience of homelessness

We have 4 identified roles in the hY NRG team for young people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

We encourage any young person to apply! We are looking for passion for youth mental health over anything else.

 There are 4 key steps to applying for the headspace Youth National Reference Group:

1. Prepare your resume – you might need to update your study or work, or want to give a refresh! If you need a hand with your resume, reach out to headspace’s Work and Study service and have a chat with their team! Find out more at: Work and study support | headspace.
2. Confirm your references - Find two people who could provide a reference for you. This could be a manager from a previous workplace, a peer mentor, a teacher from school or uni, or someone from your community.
3. Complete the application Application Form. We want to ensure that the application process is accessible to all young people so have a variety of options for you to submit your application. You can apply in a written application, via a video, or complete this via phone. If you are under 18 at the time of application, have a parent or guardian complete the Consent Form.
4. Click the Apply Now button below to submit your Application Form and Resume.

And then it’s time to celebrate submitting your application!

Check out the Position Description and Frequently Asked Questions

Send us an email: If you have a questions about the hY NRG role or application process, please contact the participation team on participation@headspace.org.au or call (03) 9027 0100 and ask for the Participation team.

Applications close 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 14 May.