Mastering Confidence: Unleashing Your Inner Game Changer

New research released from headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation (2023) shows only one in two young people feel confident when it comes to succeeding in their current or future career aspirations. The headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey found only 54 per cent of young people felt fairly or very confident in applying for a job. The same survey found only 52 per cent of young people felt they have the necessary skills to succeed in their current or future career.

Game Changers supports young people to be critical thinkers, develop transferable skills, define their career pathways, and gain employment with organisations that are welcoming and inclusive. Delivered through collaborative partnerships with youth led cultural groups located within our communities, participants are also brought together through various education workshops and forums, including with industry professionals to grow their confidence, skills, knowledge and networks.

Weng Hei Chan (Vanessa) participated in Game Changers in Autumn, joining nineteen other young people to develop and expand on these skill sets.

Participants were given a central question during the Game Changers workshops and tasked with creating innovative solutions using ideation and problem-solving frameworks. Working in collaborative groups, participants had to create a media plan and presentation which answered, “how can we tell the stories of elite athletes in a unique and engaging way?".

“This program incorporates my two interests: sports and media. It was exciting to think about these two things together every day. Getting to work with something I am passionate about, plus with people sharing the same interest, I enjoyed all the happy, sometimes tough, and brainstorming moments in the program.”

While moving through the activities within Game Changers, staff from The Huddle and Ubuntu Project work with groups to identify the various transferrable skills they are using to complete tasks, overcome challenges and solve problems.

There is also a focus on how participant’s experiences within Game Changers can be used to demonstrate skills, characteristics and talents that are highly desirable for employers looking to hire young people.

“An attitude or behaviour can determine the impression others have of me. And of course, there's no need to hide my personality and differences, because this makes me stand out from others.”

After completing their group activities, participants are given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry professionals. This also affords them an opportunity to meet with people who are succeeding in the career fields they are interested in, build their professional networks and gain insights into what it takes to get employment in particular industries.

At the conclusion of the Pitch Event portion of the Game Changers Programs, The Huddle offer five paid Employment Experiences to participants, who get the opportunity to incorporate their innovative ideas into a program or initiative being delivered by The Huddle. 

As a result of her participation in Game Changers, Vanessa was able to build her confidence, showcase her talents and gain real-world experience and advice that would benefit her on her career journey. Vanessa was also offered and Employment Experience with The Huddle to help create the next series of True North videos with our AFL and AFLW players.

“Game Changers has provided an insight into what workplaces, employers and HR expect in Australia. The information is important to make me more competitive in the job market. Especially, as an international fresh graduate, it's tough to find a job that I like. It also provides an opportunity to apply the skills that I learnt to a media pitch. Through it, I feel I am closer to a real working environment than before. This program has prepared me to become more mature to face the challenges in my future career… and now our team is making True North videos, we participated in and we contributed to every part of the production. The program has allowed me to convert my knowledge into reality, which the university cannot provide.”

Game Changers will continue to provide unique and engaging opportunities for young people to gain experience, grow professionally and build their confidence to ensure they have the skills and resilience needed to succeed to the current employment climate.

To learn more about Game Changers, please contact:

Emily Maiorana, Careers Coordinator at The Huddle.

emily.maiorana@nmfc.com.au.