ASEAN-Pacific Youth Mental Health Fellowships
Orygen Global has opened applications for the inaugural ASEAN-Pacific Youth Mental Health Fellowships Program.
Up to 15 Fellowships are offered for young people aged 18 to 30 years from Australia, Pacific Island nations and the ASEAN countries. The Fellowships are for young people who are passionate about youth mental health and want to create change in the mental health landscape within the region.
The Fellowship Program combines professional insights and education from leading global mental health organisations and networks, individual development and mentorship with industry leaders, and advocacy training from those with experience at a local, national and international level. The Fellowship also builds a network of mental health youth advocates to provide peer support and sustain advocacy efforts after the completion of the program.
The Program runs for five months and is comprised of weekly online education and training sessions and mentoring opportunities.
About the asean-Pacific youth mental health fellowship program
The program has been established to build the capacity, skills and voices of young people to create positive change in mental health awareness, policy and systems reform. The program also supports participants to further develop their youth mental health project plan designed around the needs of their communities.
The program consists of six modes of learning:
1. Education modules are a core part of the Fellowship and provide the platform to develop knowledge and insights for mental health advocacy. The modules are composed of lectures, panel discussions and practical workshops. The modules build on each other and include a strong emphasis on interaction between Fellows. The modules follow the Global Youth Mental Health Advocacy Toolkit which was developed by Orygen in 2020 as part of the global youth mental health partnership project with the World Economic Forum.
Module 1: Defining mental ill-health, advocacy and personal development.
Module 2: Safety in advocacy and sharing your personal mental health story.
Module 3: Preparing for advocacy and developing a proposal for change.
Module 4: Doing advocacy part 1: public speaking, policy and fundraising.
Module 5: Doing advocacy part 2: media and responding to risk.
Module 6: After advocacy, creating sustainable change.
2. Expert mentoring is used to help Fellows develop skills and expertise tailored to their learning needs. Expert mentoring also encourages the fellow to explore the resources and networks to enact their proposal for change. Each Fellow will be assigned their own expert mentor who they’ll meet with monthly. These sessions are designed to be dynamic, personal and informal.
3. Peer mentoring is an invaluable opportunity for the Fellows to provide each other with strategic and emotional support. Fellows from diverse backgrounds and geographical areas will be paired together and will meet monthly.
4. Contact with leaders in global youth mental health. Beyond the impact of implementing their own proposal for change, Fellows will be able to network with international leaders in youth mental health.
5. Contribution: A key component of the program is experiential learning which allows Fellows to engage with the established work of Orygen.
6. In-person forum. The aim of the forum is to bring Fellows together for an immersive opportunity to build connections with each other, learn from interactive workshops, solidify the session learnings, and expand their networks. The forum also provides an exclusive opportunity to connect with mental health experts and for Fellows to practically apply their advocacy.
Who can apply?
Eligibility criteria for the Fellowships:
- aged 18 to 30 years old at the time of application;
- self-identify as having lived experience of mental ill-health, which can be personal experience or through family members or friends, or have a specific interest or skill in youth mental health;
- are from Australia, any ASEAN country (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam) or any Pacific Island nation (The Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Independent State of Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga, Niue, the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Nauru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu);
- are interested in changing your community’s policies or practices to create change in youth mental health; and,
- have a clearly defined challenge related to youth mental health that you wish to address with a viable advocacy plan.
Applications are open from Wednesday 5 February to Monday 10 March 2025. We cannot accept applications submitted after the closing date.
Orygen is committed to working in partnership with young people of all backgrounds and identities.
Please note that lived experience of mental ill-health is welcomed but is not required to apply for the Fellowship. You’ll be in control of how, and how much you wish to share your personal story. We’ll provide you with the tools to make this decision safely and strategically.
Orygen Global is committed to making the ASEAN-Pacific Youth Mental Health Fellowships accessible to all applicants. If you’d like assistance with the application process or have any questions, contact us via email at [email protected].
For more information, view our Frequently Asked Questions here.