OUR IMPACT

Our Impact

If young leaders are equipped with the skills and tools to create change at a grassroots level, we build a world we can all look forward to.

65,000+

Young Australians

1,500+

Schools

95.7%

Felt more equipped to create change

9.02/10

Likelihood to recommend

WHY IT MATTERS

Preventative Mental Health at Scale

34%

of young Australians reported suicidal thoughts or behaviours in 2025

The mental health crisis facing Australian students is not a future problem — it is happening now. YLAA's approach is deliberately preventative, not reactive: building the internal resources students need before crisis hits.

Drawing on three evidence-based frameworks, every YLAA experience is designed to strengthen the psychological foundations that protect wellbeing:

Self-Determination Theory

Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the three core psychological needs that drive intrinsic motivation and mental health. YLAA builds all three.

Bandura's Self-Efficacy

Belief in one's ability to act and succeed is the strongest single predictor of resilience. Every YLAA challenge is designed to create genuine mastery experiences.

Dweck's Growth Mindset

Students who believe their abilities can grow through effort show dramatically better mental health outcomes. YLAA embeds a growth mindset in every interaction.

GLOBAL GOALS

Aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

YLAA's work directly advances three UN SDGs — each with a clear line to student mental health and community wellbeing.

SDG 3

Good Health & Wellbeing

YLAA builds protective mental health factors — autonomy, competence, connectedness — in students before crisis emerges. A preventative approach to SDG 3 at population scale.

SDG 4

Quality Education

By equipping students with leadership skills, growth mindset, and real-world tools, YLAA extends quality education beyond the curriculum into character and capability.

SDG 16

Peace & Strong Institutions

When students are empowered to lead change in their schools and communities, they become the builders of more just, cohesive institutions — from the ground up.

SCHOOL PROGRAM OUTCOMES

What Students Tell Us

Survey of 11,200 students across 841 schools — 2025 National Tour

95.7%

felt more equipped to create change in their school or community

92.5%

felt more confident to take on a leadership role

4.62/5

average rating for overall program quality

9.02/10

likelihood to recommend YLAA to a friend or classmate

STUDENT COUNCIL OUTCOMES

Student Councils That Lead

93%

of student council members reported increased confidence to lead school-wide initiatives

97%

said they felt more capable of identifying and responding to issues in their school community

99%

would recommend the YLAA Student Council program to other student leaders

HOW CHANGE HAPPENS

Our Theory of Change: The 4 E's

Every YLAA experience is designed around four interconnected pillars that move students from awareness to action.

Experience

Students participate in immersive, high-energy events that create genuine emotional and intellectual breakthroughs — the kind of experiences that shift perspective permanently.

Empower

Through peer connection, mentorship, and real-world challenges, students discover their own capacity to influence the world around them and take ownership of outcomes.

Equip

Practical leadership tools, frameworks, and skills are embedded throughout — so students leave not just inspired, but genuinely capable of creating change.

Educate

Evidence-based content grounded in psychology, wellbeing research, and civic education ensures every participant grows their understanding of self, others, and society.

INVEST IN THE NEXT GENERATION

Want to invest in YLAA's mission?

Partner with Australia's leading youth leadership program and help us reach more students in more schools. Together, we build a generation of confident, capable young Australians.

Explore Partnerships