Reach Out
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| Reach Out! | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot of the Reach Out! Website |
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| URL | http://www.reachout.com.au |
| Slogan | Log On If Life Could Be Better |
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of site | Informational |
| Registration | Optional |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Inspire Foundation |
| Created by | Inspire Foundation |
| Launched | March, 1998 |
Reach Out! is an internet service targeted at young people that aims to provide information, support and resources about mental health issues and enable them to develop resilience, increase coping skills, and facilitate help-seeking behaviour[1]. The site contains a wide variety of information about issues affecting young people in the form of fact sheets, stories, interviews, podcasts and online forums.
Contents |
[edit] History of Reach Out!
Reach Out! was launched in March 1998 as an initiative of the Inspire Foundation to help young people with their mental health.
Since the launch of the service, Reach Out! has expanded on services to target more specific audiences. These services now include Reach Out! Central, Reach Out! Community Forums, Reach Out! Teachers Network and the soon to be launched Reach Out! Pro.[2] Each of these services often incorporate other areas of the site, especially links to the fact sheets.
[edit] Site Content
[edit] Writing Style and Tone
The majority of Reach Out! is written in an informal tone to appeal to the younger audience. The writing is often broken up into smaller sections or contains lists, and is usually accompanied by an image. It it designed to be easy to read and understood by users even if they do not enjoy learning through reading.
[edit] Site Authors
Young people have been involved in writing content and information in many areas of Reach Out! However, the service often partners with other health and community service organisations to provide accurate and current information. As the site is only informational, users are referred to phone and web counselling services such as Kids Help Line and Life Line. A number of well known personalities have also contributed by participating in a Clued Up Interview or a Spotlight questionnaire. People who have participated have been Jamie Durie and Rove McManus.
[edit] Site Structure
Reach Out! can be seen as three main sections to help users easily navigate to the information they seek.
[edit] Sorting Stuff Out
This section provides information in the form of fact sheets researched and written by Youth Ambassadors involved with the service and health professionals that have partnered with Inspire to provide accurate and current information. Some examples of the fact sheet topics that are covered are drugs, depression, relationships, school, and sexuality.
[edit] Finding Help
This section gives information about the different types of help available to young people and how to access resources. Users can find information on how to find the best help for them, different therapies & medication, and links to directories of relevant services and agencies that can help users locally.
[edit] Chilling Out
All the information within this section is contributed by young people. In this section there is Artwork, Stories and Poetry, contributed both by the site's Youth Ambassadors and other members of the site.
[edit] Services Linked With Reach Out
Reach Out! has expanded its website to include several different services.
[edit] Reach Out! Central
Reach Out! Central, is a "serious" game designed to work interactively to help young people explore how thinking, behaviour and feelings interact with each other. A series of real life scenarios allow users to discover first-hand how the way they think and feel can positively influence their behaviour (or vice versa) and the impact this has on the outcome of given situations. The information provided in the game links with information provided on the Reach Out! website through the format of tips and tricks and links to factsheets.
On September 17, 2007 Reach Out! Central launched as a full version game after a successful run with the pilot program with limited scenarios. The current version of the game allows for further expansion in additional scenarios that can be scripted and updated when new information is made available.
Within 2 two weeks of launching Reach Out! Central was nominated and eventually named as a winner in the Changemakers.net Why Games Matter Competition. The announcement of the win with two other games was made on November 8, 2007. The interactive game was the only Australian game nominated. [3]
[edit] Reach Out! Community Forum
The online forum aims to let young people share what is happening in their lives, whether good or bad, in a safe environment moderated by staff at Inspire and trained moderators. The forums are not a counselling service but often help to refer young people to information and services. They are also a way for Reach Out! users to connect to each other and find others they can share similar experiences with.
[edit] Reach Out! Teachers' Network
Launched in April 2007, The Reach Out! Teachers’ Network connects secondary school teachers with the Reach Out! service by providing classroom lessons on particular issues that young people may face within the curriculum areas in schools.[4][1]
[edit] Reach Out! Pro
The soon to be launched service targets professionals dealing with young people and mental health by providing an online source of information and resources. The provision of these resources aims to provide a way for a range of professionals to engage young people in the treatment and maintenance of better mental health outcomes. [5]
