Young voices shaping youth mental health care

Hearing from young people about the services and support they need is necessary, said Silas, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) at headspace Bentleigh. 

“As a youth mental health service, you need to have youth perspectives regarding youth mental health,” Silas added. 

“There needs to be a youth voice in order for it to function.” 

The Bentleigh headspace centre is one of three centres managed by Alfred Health, alongside centres in Syndal and Elsternwick, with a Youth Advisory Committee operating for each.  

Comprised of volunteers aged 16-25, the YAC group for each centre plays an essential role in providing lived experience and youth perspectives to help shape the services and space their respective centre provides. 

Without this input, headspace Elsternwick YAC member Tara suggests, these centres wouldn’t be fit for purpose. 

“Because these spaces are set up for youth, if youth aren’t actively participating in conversations with the people inside the spaces, I don’t really believe they would be set up properly,” Tara said. 

With almost 40 per cent of young Australians aged 16-24 experiencing mental health issues each year, ensuring the services headspace centres provide can reflect and respond to the needs of young Australians is important, particularly as the habits and challenges of younger generations continue to change. 

Misha, a member of headspace Syndal’s YAC, suggested that while there is a lot of talk about mental health and many organisations targeting youth mental health, not all involve youth perspectives to better understand what young people really want and need. 

“And I think, especially these days, what young people want is quite different to maybe what they used to want,” said Misha. 

Perhaps more than anything, members of the various headspace YACs see themselves as playing important roles in helping other young people to realise that they are not alone in experiencing mental health difficulties, and that help is ready whenever they need it. 

“Mental health isn’t just a one-time thing to fix,” said Sophie, of headspace Elsternwick’s YAC. “Typically, it’s an ongoing thing and it’s okay to not have just one problem that needs to be fixed.” 

“It’s okay to just need consistent help and support throughout your life as you go along. You don’t need to feel at your lowest to ask for help or to speak out.” 

To learn more about the services that headspace centres provide, visit alfredhealth.org.au/services/headspace