Reach Out
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the web service, Reach Out. For the album, see Reach Out (album).
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[edit] About the Organisation
Reach Out is a web-based service that helps young Australians get through tough times. It does this by providing information on topics related to mental health and wellbeing in a range of formats. You can read inspiring stories and interviews written by young people, connect to others on the online community forum or have a go of the other interactive features.
In recent times, Reach Out! has launched into the market of Myspace, gathering bigger audiences than ever before with the use of the iconic Blog Portal.
The Inspire Foundation - an Australian not-for-profit organisation, runs three programs for young people. They are Reach Out!, Bean Bag and ActNow. Inspire is dedicated to creating opportunities for young people through the use of technology to help themselves and be the best they can.
Reach Out! is Australia's most accessed online mental health service for young people aged 16-25. Since its launch in 1998 it has had over 3.8 million visitors. Australia’s young people guide the development of Reach Out! through an online Youth Advisory Board and Youth Ambassador program.
The Youth Ambassadors help write content, promote the service in their communities and ensure that Reach Out! remains relevant to the changing needs of young people. About 80% of the site's content is written in conjunction with them.
Reach Out! is also backed by some of Australia's leading experts in mental health promotion and suicide prevention. These experts form the National Advisory Council (NAC) for Reach Out!
[edit] About the Website
The ReachOut! website can be divided into five main areas; Sorting Stuff Out, Finding Help, Chilling Out, ReachOut! Central, and the ReachOut! Community Forum.
[edit] Sorting Stuff Out
Sorting Stuff Out provides information in the form of factsheets researched and written by Youth Ambassadors and health professionals. The factsheets cover topics ranging from drugs, depression and eating disorders to relationships, school, and sexuality. Each page allows users to downloaded the factsheet as a pdf, email it to a friend, print it out, or send feedback to ReachOut! who value the ideas and opinions of young people who use the service.
[edit] Finding Help
Finding Help gives information about the different types of help available to young people and how to access resources. It is designed especially to empower young people with the confidence to help themselves by reaching out to others. Finding Help also contains useful factsheets on how to help friends or relatives who are going through a tough time, and information about various types of therapies and medication. Two services strongly recommended by ReachOut! in Finding Help are Kids Help Line and Life Line.
[edit] Chilling Out
Chilling Out is a place where young people can relax by participating in online quizzes and competitions, or be inspired by reading stories and interviews. There are two types of interviews where famous people and other young people share their experiences of going through a tough time; Spotlights which are questionnaires usually completed via correspondence and Clued Ups which are interviews with celebrities conducted in real life by Youth Ambassadors. A popular feature of Chilling Out are the stories which are emailed in by young people who want to share a part of their life and inspire others.
[edit] ReachOut! Central
ReachOut! Central, otherwise referred to as ROC, is an interactive program designed to help young people explore how thinking, behaviour and feelings interact with each other. The program appeals though its colourful aesthetic, use of popular music, ease of use, and overall fun of gameplay. A series of real life scenarios allow users to discover first-hand how the way they think and feel can influence their behaviour (or vice versa) and the impact this has on the outcome of given situations. Great extras in the ROC interactive include celebrity voices and narration, videos of interviews with inspirational people such as Cathy Freeman, and tips and tricks to help young people in their day to day lives.
[edit] ReachOut! Community Forum
The newest addition to ReachOut! is the Community Forum. The forums are open on Mondays to Thursdays between 2pm and 10pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and are moderated by the staff at Inspire and ReachOut Youth Leaders (Youth Ambassadors who have undergone special training). The forum lets young people share good times and bad times, providing them with a safe environment to discuss all the issues which come with being a young person in today's society. The forums are not a counselling service but are there to refer young people to information and services, empowering them to find the courage to seek help.
[edit] Reach Out! Youth Programs
[edit] Reach Out! Youth Advisory Board
The Reach Out! Youth Advisory Board (ROYAB) has been run for several years and gives young people a chance of having their imput to the site. Prospective ROYAB'ers apply online at www.reachout.com.au and are informed at a later date whether they have been accepted to the program. Participants go reguarly on to online forums which talk about a range of topics in regards to RO! and how the site can be made a better tool for people who are going through tough times. Participants then attend a workshop in Sydney and discuss topics affecting youth of today and also talk about Reach Out! promotion. After the workshop, ROYAB'ers are given the oppertunity to become Reach Out! Youth Ambassadors.
[edit] Reach Out! Youth Ambassadors
After completing the initial 6 week mentoring program with a more senior Reach Out! Youth Leader, Youth Ambassadors (YA's) continue to discuss RO! on online forums (separate to those of the ROYAB'ers), taking into further detailed discussion Promotion of RO!, topics that are/should be on the website and also organising or participating in events, representing Reach Out!. Each year, a YA is required to do at least two things for the bettering of Reach Out. These could include writing factsheets for the website, presenting the ideas of RO! to audiences or promoting it in the public arena. The next step on from being a YA is to become a Reach Out! Youth Leader.
