How Youth Insearch can Help
At Youth Insearch, we are proud to be Australia’s premier peer-led organisation focused on trauma recovery for at-risk youth aged 12 to 25. Our mission is to empower young people by fostering healing and resilience through shared experiences.
Creating Safe Spaces for Healing
We believe in the power of connection. Our programs provide safe environments where young individuals with lived experiences come together to support one another. Through this peer-driven approach, participants can heal from trauma, build meaningful relationships, enhance their mental well-being, and tackle life’s challenges head-on.
A Unique Approach to Recovery
Our innovative model blends group work with personalised support, enabling young people to break free from negative cycles and instigate lasting change in their lives and communities.
Community-Focused Support
Our dedicated team of peer workers and youth leaders collaborate within multidisciplinary teams in the community. By working together with local organisations, we offer comprehensive support and advocacy for youth facing complex issues, ensuring they receive the resources they need to thrive.
Our Programs
We offer a variety of engaging programs designed for youth to connect and develop essential life skills, including:
- Weekend Workshops: Energising and immersive sessions that promote growth and healing.
- Weekly Support Groups: Ongoing opportunities for young people to share experiences and foster connections.
- Individual Support: Tailored one-on-one assistance to address specific needs and challenges.
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Youth Insearch is a leader in youth peer-to-peer mental health support, offering a proven model that helps young people overcome challenges and thrive. Our ongoing "avoided costs" study shows promising early results, suggesting that our program significantly reduces the need for acute services and the associated costs, with full findings expected in early 2025.
Research highlights that peer-support programs like ours foster trust, empowerment, and improved mental health, which in turn lead to better engagement in education and employment (de Beer et al., 2022; Halsall & Matheson, 2022; Murphy & Booth, 2023). A recent evaluation of Youth Insearch revealed transformative outcomes for participants, enhancing their connection, confidence, capabilities, sense of agency, and identity (Moensted & Buus, 2021). Through our program, young people:
- Learn and apply valuable life skills
- Build trust, confidence, and self-worth
- Increase self-awareness and emotional regulation
- Feel empowered to make decisions and take responsibility
- Adopt positive thinking and behavior patterns
According to a peer-reviewed evaluation by the University of Sydney (2021), Youth Insearch creates lasting change in participants. Based on data from the past 12 months, we expect to see the following outcomes by the end of the project:
- A significant number of participants will experience a reduction in psychological distress.
- Numerous youth will reduce self-harming behaviours.
- There is a significant reduction for the risk of suicide.
- Nearly half will experience an increase in social connectedness.
- Over half will strengthen their sense of agency and identity.
- Majority will boost their capabilities and confidence.
- Many will improve their engagement in education or employment.
For more details, you can access the full peer-reviewed evaluation here.
Our Leaders
Youth Insearch program is delivered by extensively trained Youth and Adult Leaders. Youth Insearch has an alumnus of hundreds of Youth Insearch Leaders from 39 years of operation of the program.
