Youth Update

Hannah Opeskin
Hannah Opeskin is Health Promotion Officer, Haemophilia Foundation Australia

FACTORED IN

Factored In continues to be a valued resource for the bleeding disorders youth community.
Factored In is regularly updates with the latest content including:

• A personal story about receiving a Go For It Grant to play golf in the United States of America
• A story about achieving success as a leader in the youth community
• A story about attending the WFH World Congress in Orlando

The articles and stories shared through the Factored In website are generated by our youth community and the Youth Lead Connect (YLC) participants as they tell their experiences being leaders and mentors in the bleeding disorders community. Many avenues in the community work to support Factored In; youth moderators continue to promote the website throughout their local community, and the Youth Working Group is involved in continual Factored In development by generating ideas for new content and contributing to content.

Sharing stories is a great way of keeping youth connected and is an integral part of Factored In. Become a member and share your story with the community.

I encourage everyone to visit www.factoredin.org.au

Youth Lead Connect (YLC) is a new leadership program developed by Haemophilia Foundation Australia (HFA) to build education and life skills for young people with bleeding disorders. The program began in 2015 and follows an application pathway similar to a job application process. The program encourages youth to step up in their local community and while increasing both their personal and leadership growth.

The program begins with an initial training weekend to develop leadership and mentoring skills as well as identify motivations of the youth to participate in the program.

An important part of the program is the ‘Leadership Achievement Goals’ component: after the training weekend youth develop ‘Leadership Achievement Goals’ in consultation with their local Haemophilia Foundation, and are required to work through these throughout the next 12 months before graduating from the program.

Youth Lead Connect program process:

• Youth apply to the program with a cover letter and referee
• HFA reviews applications and contacts all referees
• Letter of acceptance from HFA Executive Director
• Training weekend
• Development of ‘Leadership Achievements Goals’
• Follow up & completion of Leadership Achievements
• Certificate of graduation

The 2016 Youth Lead Connect participants are engaged with their community and already demonstrated significant achievements throughout the past year:

• a YLC participant had a specific responsibility for planning and overseeing some of the children's activities at a family camp
• a YLC participant has done a talk to local youth with haemophilia about umpiring football
• a YLC participant has organised and planned a Women's Brunch that was held in June
• two YLC participants have become committee members in their respective states after attending regular committee meetings

Details of two of these achievements are displayed in Youth News.

APPLY NOW TO BE PART OF THE NEXT YLC PROGRAM

• Do you want to take the next step in your community and be more involved with other youth?
• Do you want to be a leader and gain some real life skills?
• Are you aged 16-30 years, have a bleeding disorder, carry the gene or have a sibling with a bleeding disorder?

Become involved in the Youth Lead Connect program!

Visit www.Factoredin.org.au to find out more.

Ask a question by contacting:
Hannah Opeskin
hopeskin@haemophilia.org.au