Over the last 4 years working in youth engagement and participation as a youth mental health advocate, Abi has seen it all - the good, the bad and the even worse. She has worked with some of the largest - and the smallest - mental health organisations across Australia and has come away with a few core learnings on how we engage with young people in this sector.

Curiously, one of the main challenges to effecting youth engagement that Abi saw time and time again, was fear. A fear of getting it wrong, an imposter syndrome felt by clinicians, researchers, administrators, even board members and executives.

There are a few elements that contribute to this fear that Abi will unpack in this presentation; firstly, outlining a few core principles of youth engagement through which to frame your project or work. Secondly, embracing that fear. Embracing the fear is about accepting that you will get things wrong, leaning into discomfort and jumping into youth engagement head first. This section will involve practical tips on reframing, as well as some key learnings from a young person's perspective on what we want from youth engagement and participation. Abi will also answer the age old question 'is something better than nothing?' when it comes to young people's involvement in the mental health sector.

All of these learning will be underpinned by Abi's experience as a young person herself. It will be fun and engaging but also practical and uplifting.