Applications now open - Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructors

Published on 15 February 2024

Expression of Interest Application - Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructors

Are you someone who cares deeply about your community?

Do you feel strongly about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people?

Then becoming a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor may be exactly what you have been looking for.

The Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group is inviting community members to undertake the training needed to become a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.

Training, accommodation and travel costs will be covered (in accordance with Council policies and procedures) and once trained you will be able to deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid training in local secondary schools and in the community during 2024 and 2025.

Applications close Friday 1 March, 2024.

What is Youth Live4Life

Youth Live4Life was established to independently facilitate and govern the expansion of the Live4Life youth suicide prevention and mental health education model, that has been operating in the Macedon Ranges since 2010.

Our vision is that all rural communities across Australia are empowered to support, improve and invest in their young people's mental health and reduce youth suicide. Youth Live4Life works with rural communities to implement the Live4Life model.

The Youth Live4Life purpose is to:

Reduce the barriers that prevent young people from seeking help
Decrease mental health stigma
Increase awareness of local professional help
Increase the mental health knowledge of secondary school-aged students, teachers, parents, carers and community members; and
Build and maintain community resilience in addressing mental ill-health.

Live4Life’s core values and principles of practice include:

Values

Inclusion: Live4Life is based on the premise of inclusion rather than exclusion. Partners who wish to participate and assist with Live4Life are encouraged.

Integrity: Live4Life aspires to ensure the conduct of all partners and participants is honest, reliable and authentic.

Collaboration: Live4Life encourages and supports all partners to achieve collective goals.

Respect: Life4Life only operates within a respectful and trustworthy environment. We embrace unconditional positive regard for all young people.

Core principles

Community and Youth Participation: We value community development principles of inclusion, equity, anti-discrimination, self-determination, partnership and empowerment. Live4Life works in a multilayered partnership between schools, the local community, its services and young people and draws on local expertise and knowledge.

Local Strength: We build capacity by supporting and embracing the strengths of each partner organisation. We embrace challenges and focus on solutions.

Evidence-based Education: We continue to seek, learn and disseminate quality evidence-based education support and resources relevant to local needs.

Reflection: We evaluate, learn and adapt. We continue to improve the Live4Life model.

Live4Life Central Goldfields

In 2023 we reactivated implementation of Live4Life in Central Goldfields. This initiative is being led by Central Goldfields Shire Council and driven by members of the local partnership group with representatives from:

Central Goldfields Shire Council
Department of Education
Highview College
School Focused Youth Service – Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health
Victoria Police

Becoming a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor

The instructor training is a commitment of training in Melbourne (to be confirmed) as follows:

Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training - 15 April – pending course availability.

The Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership will cover all training, accommodation and travel costs (in accordance with Council policies and procedures).

Once trained, you will be required to support the Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group to deliver free of charge Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Instructor courses in local secondary schools and/or communities across the Shire throughout 2024 and 2025.

The time commitment per instructor for YMHFA will involve the delivery of 2 courses x 14 hours per group = 28 hours per year plus preparation time.

The full value of YMHFA Instructor Training is $4250.

Expression of Interest - Selection Criteria

Tell us about any paid or volunteer roles you have held/or currently hold that might be relevant to your application to become a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
Tell us about your experience in group facilitation, including your approaches with communication and engagement in a group setting. Please provide any examples of how you can build safe and supportive group work environments. If you are applying for Teen MHFA Instructor training, please respond in relation to group settings with young people.
Please demonstrate your high skill level in public speaking and being able to communicate with different audiences (including professionals, parents, secondary school aged students).
Please provide specific examples that demonstrate you have a sound working knowledge of adolescent development; youth mental health problems and their treatments. Please include any specific localised information about youth mental health challenges and support pathways. Think about your experience from your current personal, professional and/or community setting.
If a participant in one of your sessions were causing disruptions to your training, describe how you would manage the situation. Your response should outline what actions you would take for the individual and for the group.
Part of the aim of the MHFA course is to reduce the stigma towards people with mental health problems. Identify the factors that you believe contribute to stigma and how these impact our communities and youth settings.
Mental Health First Aid Australia has an excellent reputation for research and evidence-based programs. Please summarise why these two things are both important to maintain high quality course delivery.
Please tell us about your capacity to deliver this training (as set out above) within your current work commitments. If you are employed, please include a letter of support from your employer.

Expressions of Interest must respond to the above selection criteria (please keep your responses to no more than two pages) and include a letter of support from your organisation (if applicable). Applications close COB Friday, March 2nd 2024. Please email your application to terence.jaensch@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au

If you are successful through this EOI process you will need to complete an online application form through Mental Health First Aid Australia (MHFA) in order to be approved to be trained as an Instructor. Please make yourself familiar with this process at: Become an Instructor - Mental Health First Aid Australia (mhfa.com.au)

We suggest you save your responses to this EOI to expedite this next step in the process. MHFA Australia has the ultimate approval, approval through the Partnership Group does not guarantee a position in Instructor Training delivered by MHFA Australia

For further information regarding the Expression of Interest contact:

Council's Coordinator Community Development Terence Jaensch by emailing terence.jaensch@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au or by calling 03 5461 0610.