What is Prevention United? 

Prevention United is one of Australia’s leading mental health promotion not-for-profits. We’re concerned about the dramatic increase in depression and anxiety conditions among young people and that’s why we’re focused on answering two key questions: 

• What are the key causes behind this increase in youth mental health conditions? 

• What can we do to address these causes? 

Because we’re focused on prevention, we’re looking at what can be done ‘upstream’ to support young people’s mental wellbeing and tackle the underlying root causes of mental health difficulties. We recognize we can’t just keep waiting for young people to experience serious mental health challenges before we step in to help. We’ll use the information we gather in response to these two questions to inform our advocacy activities and press governments to increase their investment in youth mental health promotion initiatives. 

That’s why we need your help! We can’t make recommendations about supporting young people’s mental health without having young people actively involved. Members of the Youth Ambassadors Group will help us answer these two questions, and help shape our message to government. Please note that this group is focused on advocacy and mental health promotion – we won’t be talking about psychology or mental health treatment. 

November 1 – Applications open 

November 24 (midnight)– Applications close 

December 2 – 6 – Interviews of shortlisted applicants 

Week beginning December 9 – Applicants notified of outcome 

January 15 and 16 – 2-day summer intensive to kick off the group for the year! 

Young people who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for the Prevention United Youth Ambassadors Group: 

• Aged between 16 – 21 as of January 2025 

• Available to attend meetings on a weekday evening once per month in Carlton, Melbourne 

• Available to attend a 2-day summer intensive to kick off the group on 15 and 16 January 2025 

• Available and willing to commit to a 1-year term (January – December 2025). Depending on our funding, there may be an opportunity to continue into 2026! 

• Passionate about youth mental health, especially prevention and health promotion (our group is not focused on mental health care) 

• While we will be discussing young people’s experience of mental health, you don’t need to have lived or living experience of mental health difficulties to apply – we’re interested in hearing from all young people about these topics 

We are keen to hear from young people from all backgrounds and life experiences, and we strongly encourage applications from young people who: 

• Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander 

• Are from multicultural backgrounds 

• Identify as LGBTQIA+ 

• Are living with a disability or chronic illness 

• Live in a regional, rural or remote community 

• Demographics: including basic personal info eg. age, education level, state/territory you live in etc.

The benefits of participating are: 

• A $50 Prezzee voucher for every meeting you attend (plus a $250 voucher for attending the summer intensive). 

• Free dinner! 

• Training sessions to help you build a career in the not for profit and/or advocacy sector. 

• The chance to help shape our work and advocate to governments about what you think the future of mental health for young people should look like. 

• Opportunities to get involved in other advocacy activities like presenting at conferences, speaking at webinars, writing for our Youth Newsletter and more! 

To apply, please complete our Youth Ambassadors Group Application Form. Applications close at midnight on November 24