National Youth Advisory Council 2025 applications

Orygen is a non-government organisation that delivers research, policy development, innovative clinical services, and evidence-based training and education for the mental health workforce to ensure that there is continuous improvement in the treatments and care provided to young people experiencing mental ill-health.  

Orygen’s values are Respect, Accountability, Teamwork, Excellence and Innovation. We strive to live by these and ask all staff, volunteers and youth advisory councils to work in line with these values too.  

Youth participation is about partnering with young people in making big decisions that relate to young people. This is in recognition that young people are a key group of experts we need to partner with to improve young people’s mental health. Orygen is committed to partnering with young people and ensuring they have a say in how we do what we wherever possible.  

At Orygen this means actively involving young people in decision-making, planning and program/project design at all levels of programs and organisations via advisory groups, advising on research projects, delivering our services and other ways at many levels of our organisations work. One of the ways we involve people in decisions is through the National Youth Advisory Council. 

We understand that circumstances change over time, and that some members may not be able to stay for the entire two-year duration. However, we encourage you to consider as best you can if you can commit to a two-year term before applying to ensure other young people don’t miss out.  

All interested applicants are encouraged to apply and are given the opportunity to share any availability or unavailability during their interview process if successful. 

No! You do not need any experience or qualifications to apply for this role. We value life experience, passion and desire to learn very highly.  

Once applications are submitted, the Youth Participation Team will consider all applications based on the criteria. The Youth Participation Team will interview a shortlisted group of applicants. We expect the recruitment process for the Youth Advisory Council to take 6-8 weeks from the date applications close. You should hear back from Orygen with a result within that timeframe.    

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have not heard anything after this time. 

All successful applicants will need to complete a National Police Check and Working with Children’s Check if they are successful. However, you do not need to obtain any of these before you apply. The Youth Participation team will help you with this process.   

Any fees associated with these checks will be covered by Orygen or reimbursed.  

Most certainly! Orygen clients are very welcome to apply.  

The information shared in the application will only be used for the purpose of deciding who we should interview and appoint to the YAC. The form with your details will be kept secure and will not be shared beyond the Orygen team who are handling the recruitment process.   

The Youth Participation team and the First Nations Team at Orygen will make sure the involvement of First Nations YAG members is culturally safe and in alignment with Orygen’s Statement of Commitment to the First Nations of Australia and the Orygen Cultural Strengthening Plan 2021-2025. 

The Youth Participation team and the First Nations Team at Orygen will prioritise growing the connections of First Nations staff with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and young people at Orygen, and making First Nations YAC members aware of cultural support frameworks at Orygen.  

As with all other YAC members, Orygen will provide training, payment via honorarium, travel costs for face-to-face meetings and other support along the way. 

First Nations YAC members are encouraged to provide any feedback on processes they deem to be culturally unsafe, or those that do not align with Orygen’s Commitment to the First Nations of Australia, however this is not an expectation or a requirement of their employment. 

All staff at Orygen are expected to complete First Nations Cultural Safety training. 

The Youth Participation team will commit to making sure they are aware of culturally safe practices when recruiting First Nations YAC members, including an understanding of maintaining Social and Emotional Well-being within the workplace. 

It is each team member’s responsibility to identify any practices or procedures they feel are culturally unsafe to First Nations YAC members. Successful First Nations YAC members can reach out to the First Nations team for assistance or guidance if they do not feel comfortable talking to other staff or YAC members about a challenge. 

Please direct these to the Youth Participation team at [email protected].