We are expanding our Laurel House Expert Advisory Council for Youth (LEAPY).
Are you a young person with lived experience of sexual abuse or violence between the ages of 13 and 18, living in the north or north-west of Tasmania, and want to make a difference for other children and young people and help stop sexual violence?
We would love to hear from you.
How to apply
- Download a copy of the LEAPY Terms of Reference and read it before you apply. We can also email or post a copy to you, if that is easier for you. There are a choice of formats to choose form below.
- Read the “Am I ready to join the Council” questions to check if you are ready to become a LEAPY member! These do not need to be answered and sent back to us, they are for your use only and are meant to support you to think through the commitment you will make by being a LEAPY member.
- Apply to become a LEAPY member by filling out the online form. If you prefer to fill in the application form by hand or offline download the PDF version of the application form, or email Keelie, Youth Engagement Lead, or call/text her on 0490 213 158 and you can talk through the application together. We can also send you a printed copy in the mail, if you would like to fill it out by hand and return it to us.
In your application form, you will be invited to tell us in writing why you want to join. And you also have the choice to upload any range of media resources that support you to best showcase your interest and experience, if you prefer this to writing. These may include a video, drawing, music, photograph, or any other format.
What LEAPY members do
Your role as a member of LEAPY would include:
- Providing feedback, sharing ideas and working with members to understand children and young people’s experiences and priorities.
- Speaking with government bodies at opportunities coordinated by the LEAPY Youth Engagement Lead, Keelie, to make changes to Tasmanian policies and community understanding around child sexual abuse and violence.
- Attending LEAPY meetings (mostly online, but some in person). Opportunities to join meetings are once a month at minimum. These meetings will be held on a Monday afternoon from 4pm until 6pm. If there is a need for extra meetings, you will be given notice beforehand.
LEAPY embers are paid an honorarium of $30 per hour for their time preparing and attending meetings and debriefing.
Successful applicants will attend their first meeting with existing LEAPY members in June/July 2024.
What LEAPY is and what it does
LEAPY is a youth council made to engage children and young people with lived experience of sexual violence to provide feedback and establish ideas about how Laurel House, and the broader community can help stop sexual violence.
Laurel House recognises the importance of child and youth voice, and is committed to upholding best-practice safeguarding, trauma and engagement practices to enable LEAPY members to engage in a safe, accessible and sustainable manner.
Laurel House recognises the importance of child and youth voices, and is committed to upholding best-practice safeguarding, trauma and engagement practices to enable Council members to engage in a safe, accessible and sustainable manner.
To help make your involvement in LEAPY safe, our meetings have the following guidelines.
- To treat all members, support people and Laurel House people with respect and dignity, including their privacy.
- To agree that all meetings are safe spaces and not to share other members stories. Even if you have friends in common, it’s important you don’t share their story.
- Recognise that everyone has a different experience, and that each person may be triggered or impacted by different things. To ensure everyone feels safe, you agree not to share explicit details of abuse.
- To input as you feel comfortable, and to raise concerns and/or ask for help as needed.
How LEAPY is run
LEAPY is coordinated by a Youth Engagement Lead, Keelie, who is also a young victim survivor. She has experience working with survivors in different settings and wants to help develop change in our community. As a member of LEAPY, you will also have access to:
- Counselling support from Laurel House Staff. A counsellor will be available during each meeting and at the end of each meeting.
- Check-in and follow up calls before and after each meeting to talk through how you feel.
- Bringing a support person with you to meetings if you wish.
- Support for family members.
- Professional development, training opportunities and coaching including:
- Understanding Trauma
- Telling your own story, in your own words and advocating for change
- Advocating to government.
- Problem solving
- Public speaking
- Art based workshops
- Other fun and team building activities
Laurel House is inclusive and welcomes people from all identities, backgrounds and experiences to apply. We are inclusive of people with disability, neurodivergent people, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTIQA+ people, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, First Nations people and other forms of diversity. We welcome you to tell us what you need to be part of LEAPY.
More information
Keelie McMahon, Youth Engagement Lead (work days Mon/Tues/Wed)
email: keelie.mcmahon@laurelhouse.org.au
Call/Text: 0490 213 158
Kathryn Fordyce, CEO, Laurel House
email: kathryn.fordyce@laurelhouse.org.au
Call/Text: 0427 739 397