Where Young Minds
Lead Health Research

Empowering young people to take an active role in research about their health and well-being.

Our Research Initiatives

Advancing Adolescent Health & Wellbeing

The Health Hive is a project designed to empower you as young people to take an active role in research about your health and well-being. Whether you want to share ideas, provide feedback, or even lead your own research projects, The Health Hive offers the tools, resources, and confidence to get involved at any level you choose. It’s a space for you to start your journey as part of the research community, allowing you to shape studies that affect your lives and contribute your voices to build healthier futures.

The Health Hive is funded via a Medical Research Futures Fund Consumer-Led Grant (#2023165).

Accessible research opportunities

Breaking barriers and fostering
authentic youth participation

We are dedicated to enhancing access to research participation by addressing barriers and amplifying the visibility of opportunities for young people to take on decision-making roles in research. Our approach offers flexibility in research activities and prioritises authenticity in youth-led initiatives.

Building foundational
research skills

An open-access course co-created with young people

We are developing an open-access online course designed to equip young people with essential research skills. This foundational resource aims to empower adolescents with the knowledge and tools needed to participate meaningfully in research. The course will be flexible, offer self-paced learning, and practical to ensure accessibility and relevance for a diverse audience.

Cultivating peer collaboration and support

A community of practice for shared learning

We are creating a vibrant community of practice that brings young people together to share experiences, build networks, and collaborate on research projects. This peer-driven community fosters a sense of belonging, supports skill development, and encourages shared learning. The community aims to inspire and strengthen collective youth engagement in research.

Strengthening collaborations for impact

Promoting the Health Hive through strategic partnerships

We are committed to building meaningful partnerships with researchers, government agencies, and health organisations. By fostering cross-sector collaborations, we aim to amplify the reach and impact of our initiatives, establishing the integration of young people into health research and decision-making processes as best practice. These partnerships will drive innovation in policy, scale effective interventions, and embed youth-driven approaches within broader health systems and policies.

Want to join a Youth Advisory Group?

Use our map to find Youth Advisory Groups across Australia

Thank you to Jackie Kwong and Amani Fuad who developed this map during their Master of Nutrition and Dietetics community placement at The University of Sydney.

Are you an organisation with a youth group
and would like to be featured on this map?

Form

Fill out our quick submission form (it takes less than a few minutes!)

🐝📝Tell us what you want and WE LISTEN! #youngpeople #health #leadership #youthadvisorygroup #youthadvisor

Meet the Team!! (Part 1) 🐝🌍

Part 2 is out 🤸‍♂️

#youngpeople #usyd #healthandwellness #meettheteam #leadership #choseyourcharacteredit

Are YOU excited for Youth Week? 🐝🌍

Find out what's happening near you!
https://www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/nsw-youth-week-2025

🐝 KIND! Did you know Zero Discrimination Day “started with a focus on HIV to highlight how people can become informed about and promote the rights” of those “affected by HIV”? (World Health Organisation, 2022) In recent years this day is centered on removing all types of discrimination. Scroll to the 3rd Slide to see random acts of kindness you can aim for today and every day!

💗 Reach out

💗 Give a hug

💗 Volunteer

💗 Say “Thank You”

💗 Spread Peace

💗 Grow Goodness

Now you’ve met us individually, we’d like you to meet us collectively as the ‘Health Hive Core’. As diverse young people ourselves, we are passionate about ensuring all voices are heard and listened to.
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🐝 We understand that not every young person is the same- we all have unique qualities, gifts and backgrounds that should be celebrated and listened to! That’s why we created Health Hive- a website with accessibility in mind to cater to everyone’s preferred ways of learning and self-expression.
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🐝 Our mission is to both educate and inspire young people to contribute to research that directly impacts them. Whether it be about mental health, physical health or how we can further empower the voices of the youth, Health Hive is here to help! ❤️

Access the Australian YAG Map using the link below! Scroll to the bottom of the home page to find it 🐝🌍
https://www.youthhealthhive.com/

Know a YAG that isn't on the map? Let us know by filling out this form, and we will add it!
https://redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=FWRJ8MCFANDFYNYY

Meet Julian Vaz! 🐝🌏
Julian is a passionate advocate eager to learn and collaborate in youth advisory roles. With two years of experience at the Council for Intellectual Disability, Julian focuses on health, wellbeing, and behaviour support plans. He values the importance of ensuring workers' voices are heard.

Outside of advocacy, Julian enjoys going to the gym, cooking, and drinking chai. He’s also a sports enthusiast and is keen on making information accessible through ‘Easy Read’, a method designed to simplify communication both orally and visually.

Hi, I’m Jasmeh! 🐝 I’m a Peer Facilitator at the University of Sydney, where I advocate for youth health initiatives and amplify young voices. Inspired by my community and love for the outdoors- I’m committed to creating a meaningful change in how we view and approach health. Let’s make a difference together! 💛

Meet Kay Connor! 🐝🌏
Kay Connor (he/they) is a young advocate with a passion for change-making and addressing disparities. He is the founder and spokesperson for the Equity Advocacy Group on the mid-north coast, which aims to raise awareness, promote diversity, and combat social stigma. Kay is a member of their local headspace’s Youth Reference Group where they aim to promote authenticity and equity for marginalised groups across their community, especially for queer and neurodiverse youth. They strongly believe in the role of young people in promoting change and have recently conducted a study into the concerns of the youth in NSW, and aim to use this data to amplify youth voices and effectively address needs.

He is currently working with the Young Health Advocates non-profit, as the Ambassador for Australia and keynote speaker on health literacy. They love to read and write poetry, and play they the flute in their free time. Fun fact: he was also a movie actor!

Meet Emma Soo! 🐝🌏
As an aspiring woman in STEM and project management, Emma seeks to learn from diverse perspectives and thrives on networking to create innovations that improve the quality of life for others. She is also currently working as a youth leader for the ‘THRIVE-25’ Youth Advisory Group, which aims to enhance cancer prevention for young people in Australia, founded by organisations such as the University of Melbourne. Emma is passionate about fostering meaningful change and strongly believes that problems can be effectively solved through empathy, communication and authenticity.

As hobbies, Emma enjoys debating, participating in pitching competitions, community volunteering, running a small crochet business and practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu! 🧶🥋

Visit The Youth Wellbeing Research Team at this year’s Alumni Festival! We’ll be in Research Alley, where guests will experience the University’s cutting-edge research and teaching practices through exciting, interactive demonstrations.

Hear more about @youthhealthhive, an online platform that facilitates co-production and builds research capacity in young people across Australia.

You can find us on Saturday 30 November from 2:00 – 6:00 pm in the Quadrangle cloisters.

While you’re there, stick around to check out tours, talks, live music, kids’ activities and more!

Register now and plan your day: link in bio

#HealthHive
#YouthWellbeing
#AlumniFestival
#ResearchAlley
#YoungResearchers
#CoProduction
#InteractiveLearning
#DigitalHealthSolutions
#AdolescentHealth
#HealthyFutures
#YouthEngagement
#InnovationInHealth
#CommunityImpact
#SydneyUniEvents
#ResearchForGood

Welcome to The Health Hive! 🐝🌏

A project designed to empower young people to take an active role in research about their health and wellbeing 💪🧠

Whether you want to:
💡 Share ideas
🤝 Provide feedback
🚀 Lead your own research projects

The Health Hive gives you the tools, resources, and confidence to get involved at any level you choose! 🎯

It’s your space to:
🌱 Start your journey as part of the research community
🗣️ Shape studies that affect your lives
🌟 Contribute your voice to healthier futures!

Led by young people and researchers @sydney_uni.
📱 Stay tuned for more updates!

Funded by: @healthgovau Medical Research Futures Fund Consumer-Led Grant #2023165

#HealthHive
#YouthVoicesMatter
#HealthyFutures
#AdolescentHealth
#YouthForHealth
#InnovationForWellbeing
#DigitalHealthSolutions
#HealthySocieties
#YoungResearchers
#YouthEngagement
#BuildingBetterFutures

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@youthhealthhive

Where Young Minds Lead Health Research