Youth Peer Advocates driving the change they want to see at YSAS

Both started their journey as clients – Lucia at headspace Collingwood, and Kayla at Birribi. Through giving feedback and joining youth advisory committees, they found their voices and began influencing services.

“I realised my feedback, thoughts and opinions would be taken seriously, and that I could create change that I could see,” says Lucia.

“I was at Birribi, giving feedback, when a worker suggested I apply for The CREW. That led to this role,” says Kayla.

Today, they are Youth Peer Advocates in YSAS’ Youth Participation team, helping ensure that young people’s voices are not only heard but also shape the systems that serve them.

A key part of the work Youth Peer Advocates do at YSAS is leading their Passion Projects, from ideation to implementation. 

Lucia’s project, Visual Voice, empowers young people at YSAS to explore art as a tool for advocacy. The program is inclusive and for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. 

“They write poetry, paint, and they’re really interested in creating collages. While we create, we also have great conversations about what matters to them and what their thoughts and opinions are on issues.”

Kayla is developing peer support groups informed by her own experience. 

“I wanted to create a similar program to one that I did when I was 18 years old. I still think of those peer support groups and how much they helped me in my mental health and drug and alcohol journey.”

Beyond their Passion Projects, both are active across the organisation, reviewing policies, attending leadership meetings, running Youth Partnership Month and contributing to organisation-wide initiatives including the Lived and Living Experience Learning Collaborative.

“There are a lot of spaces that we can bring a young person’s perspective into,” says Lucia.

They also help coordinate Ideas Days, which are local feedback events that influence service priorities.

“We run Ideas Days because not every young person can join The CREW,” she says. “We’re here to make sure those voices are heard”.

“I know about Birribi because I stayed there, but I have no idea how Geelong runs. So, it’s really important that we connect directly with young people and hear their experiences, and what they want from the YSAS service that they’re connected to,” says Kayla.

“It’s about not assuming that everyone has the same needs across all of YSAS,” adds Lucia.

That feedback has already led to real changes, like enhanced mental health support at Birribi.

“Young people were asking for better access to mental health supports while they’re in residential services, making young people’s experience with YSAS so much more valuable, holistic and better suited to their needs,” says Kayla.

For young people thinking about getting involved in advocacy, both offer powerful advice.

“Some people might have more professional experience, or they might have qualifications, but no one has your experience, so you’re the expert on that, and it’s important,” says Lucia. “Show up, push back when needed, and know your lived experience is valued.”

Kayla adds, “a lot of young people at YSAS have complex histories, or they think that they’re too much, or that they’ve got too much baggage, but that’s just stuff that can be used as inspiration for what to advocate for, rather than something that will bring you down.”

Both advocates have bold visions for the future of youth participation.

“I want to see more Youth Peer Advocate roles across all sites,” says Lucia. “More CREW and YAC programs, more lived experience roles, and real inclusion of marginalised voices like First Nations youth, CALD, queer youth, young people with disabilities… Everyone deserves to be heard.”

Kayla adds, “my hope is that youth voices just becomes normal, something that’s embedded in the everyday, not something people have to be reminded to do.”

Thanks to advocates like Lucia and Kayla, the future is looking more responsive, inclusive, and hopeful than ever.