Young Leaders Program
The Youth Disability Advocacy Service or YDAS runs the Young Leaders Program.
Emerging young leaders
Our free online leadership program is for young Victorians who identify as:
- Having a disability
- Having a health condition or chronic illness
- Neurodivergent
- Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing
- Having lived experience of mental health issues
- Blind or have low vision
We do not have any planned free workshops, but you can email us if you’re interested in YDAS running a version of our Young Leaders Program at your school or organisation.
Download an Easy English version of the information on this webpage.
Email usIs this program for me?
The Young Leaders Program was created for young people who:
- Are aged between 14 – 25 years old
- Identify as having a disability, health condition, chronic illness, being blind or vision impaired, being Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing, neurodivergent and/or having lived experience of mental health issues.
- Are interested in leadership
What will I learn?
- Grow your leadership and advocacy skills.
- Gain confidence working in a team.
- Get ongoing opportunities, including jobs and volunteer roles.
- It’s free!
“I was able to meet people who wouldn’t judge me and I was able to become more confident.” – Jasmine
“Fun, great people and the opportunity to understand more about myself and those who also experience challenges of disability.” – Natasha
“At the start I didn’t talk much, but then I got better at answering the questions. Less shy.” – Chelsea
What will I be doing?
- Take part in 4 workshops designed with and for disabled young people.
- These workshops will all be online using video chat.
These workshops will support you to:
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- develop your leadership, teamwork, communication and project skills
- improve your understanding of access, inclusion and advocacy
- learn from and work with other leaders with disability.
Applications are closed for 2025
We don’t currently have any workshops planned for 2025. However, please sign up to our waitlist to find out about any future Young Leaders Program workshops or leadership opportunities for young people.
Contact Haley, Young Leaders Program Officer, if you have any other questions:
Email: youngleaders@ydas.org.au
Phone: 0476 287 414
CYDA’s Young Leaders Program
Are you a graduate of our Young Leaders Program or looking to take part in a national-based leadership program? CYDA’s Young Leaders Program is for you!
This program is completely online and is designed for young people with disability anywhere in Australia, aged 18-25. We are looking for young people with disability who have aspirations and goals to become future leaders. No matter what your background or experience is with leadership, this program is for you!
This 11-month long format program will give you the opportunity to build lasting connections and take tangible steps towards your leadership goals, supported by the CYDA team and our network the whole way!
With the support of:
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NDIA
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CYDA
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Victorian Government