ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
ROHAN Symonds has always had a caring personality. The 20-year-old, now a member of the Headspace Youth National Reference Group (hY NRG), represents the Latrobe Valley to ensure our local young people’s voices and opinions are heard. The hY NRG is made up of a diverse group of young people of varying ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. Group members represent each Australian state and territory and work with headspace to ensure young people’s voices and opinions remain front and centre. The youth group role is a paid casual position, for only 20 diverse young people aged 16 to 25 from across Australia. Mr Symonds has lived, worked and studied in the Traralgon area all his life. “The Latrobe Valley is special to me because there is a lot of access to youth specific opportunities that I’m involved in and opportunities for me to represent Latrobe Valley youth,” he said. “I applied for the Youth National Reference Group as I wanted to make a difference at the national level by representing the community and really hopefully with the intention of making some long lasting changes.” Youth group members gather frequently online to discuss ideas and issues regarding mental health and they also attend Melbourne meetings every six months. The youth group members also participate in a range of internal projects, working groups, consultations, committees and media campaigns. “I’m very passionate about youth mental health as I believe it’s something that we need to raise awareness for. There’s been a lot of campaigning in recent years in the Latrobe Valley about raising awareness about mental health from a youth perspective,” Mr Symonds said. Members also participate and are involved in shaping headspace campaigns, projects and programs on youth mental health. For those like Mr Symonds, this position will help develop skills and experience in public speaking, media, project management, advocacy, safe storytelling and facilitation, and also allow them to connect with a community of likeminded young people across the country. Attending meetings and partaking in projects allows youth members to share expertise and lived experience to inform headspace’s work. Most high school graduates understand the stress and pressures of VCE, as too did Mr Symonds, who experienced mental health issues from Year 12. Mr Symonds uses his past schooling experiences to fight for student health and wellbeing. “I like to use my own lived experience to support anything I might be advocating for,” he said. Mr Symonds spoke about his experiences as a hY NRG member. “It’s taught me about the organisational context of Headspace National from a broader perspective, but it’s also given me the opportunity to exercise my passion for advocating for changes for young people’s mental health.” Headspace chief executive, Jason Trethowan, is proud of how the hY NRG members are changing the mental health space. “Engagement starts at the headspace centre, with local reference groups advising services and supporting community engagement,” Mr Trethowan said. “At Headspace National, we facilitate several avenues for participation in different areas of our work, including the Headspace Youth National Reference Group. “Our hY NRG members are passionate about young people’s health and wellbeing, and the program provides them the opportunity to have meaningful input in the strategic direction of Headspace. “hY NRG members are active in their communities and often share their lived experiences to improve the lives of other young people.” Mr Symonds is currently studying for a Bachelor of Community and Human Services at Federation University, with goals to continue advocating for better mental health in the community.
