Synopsis: Have you ever wondered about the journey of youth advocacy from inception to impact? In this session, we delved into the essential phases of becoming a youth advocate, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with young people in research initiatives. We looked at how to effectively engage youth in the research process, ensuring their voices are heard and valued. The seminar covered strategies for fostering teamwork, building trust, and facilitating meaningful dialogue among young advocates.

Questions this seminar addressed: 

• What are the crucial steps involved when forming a youth reference group?
• What successes and challenges can members of a youth reference expect and how might these be addressed/encouraged?
• How did we engage and include young people in the Centre of Research Excellence for Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health?
• How can researchers best support and engage young people in research

Speakers:  Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis, Diandra Priambodo, Ivy Craw, Jasmine Elliot, Luo Li, Molly O’Sullivan

Angelica is a global justice and youth affairs leader, researcher and advocate. Driven by social change, her research interests include access and participation, social inequalities, and community mental health. Angelica is the current Oceania Representative on the World Federation of United Nations Associations Youth Advisory Council.

Diandra is an early-career doctor passionate about adolescent health and youth advocacy. With experience in medical research and active participation in youth engagement projects, Diandra contributes to initiatives aimed at improving adolescent wellbeing. As a member of the Indonesian Adolescent Health Association (AKAR Indonesia), Diandra strives to advocate for the health of Indonesian youth.

Ivy is a 27-year-old Bioinformatics student currently living on Wadawurrung country in rural Victoria. With experience in youth-focussed cohort studies, Ivy is now a public servant, working in data science for the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Ivy is a founding member of the international youth advocacy group CREYATE and plays in a local queer rock band, Porpoise Spit.

Jasmine joined CREYATE as a medical student with a passion for health and research advocacy driven by her lived experience. She is now a Psychiatry Registrar working on Dja Dja Wurrung Country (Bendigo), and in addition to CREYATE, Jas is a Youth Advisor to the Orygen Board.

Luo is a PhD candidate at the Centre of Adolescent Health and the University of Melbourne. Her primary research interest is looking at existing measures of wellbeing for adolescents and understanding how these measures are applied in global population surveys. Luo is a youth advocate with the Centre of Research Excellence for driving global investment in adolescent health.

Molly is an experienced research coordinator, health communicator, and program manager with expertise in youth engagement, health and research communications with a focus on research impact.

​Date: Thursday 7 November 2024

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 pm AEDT

Event recording

Advancing Adolescent Health in the Asia Pacific: A virtual community to share knowledge and support collaboration

Despite one in two of the world’s adolescents living in the Asia-Pacific region, adolescent health is a relatively new field of endeavour in Australia as well as the region. It is a field that spans policy makers from multiple sectors, researchers from different disciplines, and practitioners working in health services, schools and communities and encompasses a multitude of health topics and concerns. Despite this, there are few opportunities to come together to share, showcase and build capacity to improve adolescent health and wellbeing in the region.

This seminar series aims to provide opportunities for researchers, policy makers, practitioners, implementers, young advocates – indeed, anyone interested in the health and wellbeing of adolescents – to enhance their understanding of adolescent health and wellbeing, with a focus on research.

This series is supported by the Centre of Research Excellence for Driving Global Investment in Adolescent Health. Led by a team at the Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, it brings together leading Australian research groups including the University of Melbourne, Burnet Institute, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of South Australia, and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.

Read more about the series here