Youth Health Forum
MASTERCLASSES
The Youth Health Forum hosted a series of online educational masterclasses for young health consumers.
Delivered by experts and co-designed by experienced young health consumers, these masterclasses will take you through the skills and knowledge they wish they had known when they had first stepped up as young consumer advocates.
Each masterclass incorporates a series of support tools and resources, including a recording of each session which you can now access at any time.
What's inside
- Being a health consumer 101: the fundamentals of advocacy, the consumer journey and knowing your rights
- The Australian Health System: an overview for young people
- Safe storytelling and controlling your narrative
- Partners in storytelling: a masterclass to improve community storytelling and centre the lived experience
- Helping young advocates amplify their voice
Being a health consumer 101: the fundamentals of advocacy, the consumer journey and knowing your rights
Overview
This masterclass will provide you with the foundational knowledge of what a health consumer advocate does, how to get involved in health consumer advocacy, and how to succeed in this important space.
Why is this topic important?
Health consumers play an important role in shaping the Australian healthcare system. Sometimes, it can be hard to know how to get into this space and what to do once you’re there. This is a great introductory masterclass that will help to make you a stronger health consumer advocate.
This masterclass will support you to:
- develop a clear understanding of what a health consumer advocate is and what they do
- understand your rights as a health consumer and advocate in the health system
- understand the role of state and federal peak health consumer organisations
- learn how to be involved in consumer advocacy at the local, state and federal levels
- develop the confidence to establish and maintain relationships with your local health services
- learn various tips and tricks to maintaining your wellbeing on the consumer journey.
Resources
YHF Masterclass - Consumer 101 slides
YHF Masterclass - Consumer 101 workbook
About the presenters
Georgia Gardner is a young health consumer advocate who brings significant experience as both a participant and facilitator of consumer co-design in the healthcare sector.
Zinab Al Hilaly is a leader, storyteller, and mental health advocate who is dedicated to empowering multicultural young people through advocacy, policy, and youth leadership.
Jordan van Rosmalen is a young health consumer advocate, specialising in mental health advocacy and transitions of care.
Emily Unity is a mental health professional who is passionate about co-designing solutions to systemic barriers. They ground their work in their lived and living experiences as an LGBTQIA+, disabled, and neurodiverse young person from a refugee and migrant background.
The Australian Health System: an overview for young people
Overview
This masterclass will give you a foundational understanding of how the Australian health system works. It will provide a broad overview of the structure and functions of the Australian health system and identify key strategies, tools and levers for effective advocacy.
Why is this topic important?
The Australian health system is extremely complex. Even if you have been working in the health system for years, it is likely that you will learn something new with every project that you do. You don’t need to know everything about the health system to be an effective advocate. However, this overview will provide you with an effective tool to help you with your advocacy.
This masterclass will support you to:
- understand the evolution of the Australian health system – how did we get here? How does the history of the health system inform the problems we are encountering today?
- identify the main players – what are the main components of the health system? How do they relate (or not) to each other?
- increase your awareness of the division of responsibilities across different sectors and levels of government – who does what and where does the money come from? What are the different ways in which we fund and deliver health care?
- explore the role of consumer and advocacy organisations – how can understanding the health system can support effective advocacy? What are the most effective approaches for advocates wanting to make changes?
- learn about current debates – identifying tools and levers within the current health policy landscape to advocate for change. Why do some issues never seem to be resolved?
Resources
YHF Masterclasses - Australian Heath System slides
YHF Masterclasses - Australian Heath System useful links and resources
About the presenters
Jennifer Doggett is an editor at Croakey and reports for the Croakey Conference News Service. She is a Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development and a consultant working in the health sector for a number of professional, industry and consumer groups. She has previously worked within the Federal Department of Health, as a political advisor and in a community health organisation.
Harry Iles-Mann an experienced disability advocate, co-design and lived-experience engagement consultant, mental health ambassador, speaker, and health strategist.
Safe storytelling and controlling your narrative
Overview
This masterclass will give you the tools you need to share your lived experiences with peers, organisations and other stakeholders in a safe and respectful way.
Why is this topic important?
Unsafe sharing is an issue that often comes up when young people are asked to share their stories. It can be tempting to rush to talk about your lived experience without considering the implications your story may have on yourself and others; and without the skills to share your story in a way that is useful to a broader context or a broader audience.
This topic will also briefly cover aspects of ensuring that you as the storyteller maintain ownership of the story that is being shared. This is particularly important when talking to external groups about your lived experience.
This masterclass will support you to:
- increase your knowledge and confidence in negotiating conditions with community organisations and media who want to use your story
- learn how to share your lived experiences safely and effectively
- gain an understanding of the Transformational Ethical Story Telling (TEST) Framework and its guiding principles
- apply the TEST principles to your storytelling practice.
Resources
YHF Masterclass - Safe storytelling Story Holder guide
YHF Masterclass - Safe storytelling - TEST Principles
YHF Masterclass - Safe storytelling - Case Studies
About the presenters
Our Race is a social enterprise that uses tools and techniques to reset social power imbalances. The approach is grounded in First Nations’ storytelling, which prioritises and honours cultural knowledge and safety.
Connect with Our Race
Website: Our Race | Transformational Ethical Storytelling
LinkedIn: Our Race: Overview | LinkedIn
Instagram: Our Race (@our_race) • Instagram photos and videos
Partners in storytelling: a masterclass to improve community storytelling and centre the lived experience
Overview
This masterclass is for people working in community and advocacy organisations, the media, and young advocates.
Why is this topic important?
The telling of stories can be a powerful tool for the communication of knowledge, and the building of community. It can also be an act of profound vulnerability, and may have impacts that are not immediately apparent. So what can we, as listeners, do to create a safe and supportive environment for young people to tell their stories, and how can we ensure that we share them in a safe and ethical way?
This masterclass will support you to:
- co-design safer spaces to create and tell consumer stories with respect, sensitivity, and appreciation of people’s lived experience
- rethink how to tell stories more powerfully by placing the community at the centre
- develop processes and strategies to better reach audiences, benefitting consumers and the community
- gain an understanding of the Transformational Ethical Story Telling (TEST) Framework and its guiding principles
- apply the TEST principles to your professional practice.
Resources
YHF Masterclass - Partners in storytelling slides
YHF Masterclass - Partners in storytelling TEST Principles
About the presenters
Our Race is a social enterprise that uses tools and techniques to reset social power imbalances. The approach is grounded in First Nations’ storytelling, which prioritises and honours cultural knowledge and safety.
Connect with Our Race
Website: Our Race | Transformational Ethical Storytelling
LinkedIn: Our Race: Overview | LinkedIn
Instagram: ;Our Race (@our_race) • Instagram photos and videos
Overview
This masterclass will help give you the skills and confidence to apply for youth advocacy positions so you can amplify your voice and change the world for the better.
Why is this topic important?
Youth voices are important. An effective way of being heard is to be part of youth committees, steering groups, consumer groups, and advisory groups. We understand that applying for roles in these groups can be daunting. The Youth Health Forum held a webinar for young people who wanted to learn more about applying for youth advocacy positions, using the Australian Youth Steering Committee as a case study.
This masterclass will support you to:
- increase your understanding of what different application processes may involve
- explore ways to reflect on and respond to questions
- gain a wide range of insights about applying for advocacy roles from experienced advocates
Resources
YHF Masterclass - Amplify your voice slides
You can find out more about the Youth Steering Committee here Youth Steering Committee — Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (ayac.org.au)
About the presenters
Elizabeth Deveny is the CEO of CHF and chair of the Digital Health Agency.
Roxx Macdonald is a youth advocate and a current CHF board member.
Pre-recorded special address from The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP, Minister for Youth, Australian Government.