Looking for a career as a social change leader?
We are currently taking applications for our Emerging Changemakers university placement program. Our program is suited to students who are undertaking relevant courses and/or with a demonstrated interest in the following fields:
education or teaching
community development
youth work
digital community engagement
law or legal studies
social work
psychology
allied health
Key DATES
Special Program: headspace Secondment (Early Intake)
Available for students completing a secondment to headspace Glenroy for their first and second rotations.
Orientation: 23 & 24 February 2026
Training: 20 - 26 April 2026
Autumn Program (Intake 1)
Orientation: 13 & 15 April 2026
Training: 20 - 24 April 2026
Winter Program (Intake 2)
Orientation: 8 & 9 June 2026
Training: 22 - 26 June 2026
Spring Program (Intake 3)
Orientation: 18-20 September 2026
Training: 21-24 September 2026
Summer 2026-27 Intake
Orientation: 20 & 21 October 2026
Training: 26 - 30 October 2026
Applications close Saturday February 14 for Early Intake and Monday 30 March for Intakes 1 and 2. Applications will be processed when they are received and positions offered as they are available, so apply early to make sure you don’t miss out.
Successful applicants are required to be available for:
an interview (online), to be held on Tuesday 17 February or Wednesday 18 February (to be confirmed)
all Orientation and Training dates (between 9 am and 5 pm - times to be confirmed)
Program DATES & SEssion times
Regular session times
Participants are required to be available every Tuesday 4:30 - 7 pm for the following:
working group meetings & training
consultation sessions
And must also be able to dedicate one full working day per week (to be decided in consultation with your supervisor) to:
complete project work
attend stakeholder meetings and engagement
participate in supervision sessions
Detailed schedules with exact meeting times will be provided on a monthly basis.
Rostered sessions or meetings
You will occasionally be rostered for community-facing sessions or external meeting that fall on other days of the week. These sessions will be rostered in consultation with you, based on your availability.
Selection criteria
If you meet the following key selection criteria, we’d love for you to apply:
You are from a migrant/refugee/culturally diverse background and/or have a demonstrated interest in working with people from multicultural communities.
You are interested in contemporary social issues and are want to learn how you can be an effective agent for social change, as you embark on your professional career.
You are pro-active and have a can-do attitude. You are willing to learn new skills and give things a try, to make things happen.
You strive for excellence in your work and understand that learning from mistakes will always be important to your professional growth.
You are reliable and take responsibility for your work, as well as your own learning and growth.
To participate in all aspects of this program, you will need to have access to a computer with a webcam/mic and internet connection. (Please let us know in your application if you need assistance with arranging this.)
Program Outline
Please note: this program is currently being updated.
In 2026, participants (regardless of their professional discipline) will participate in the following activities, with a focus on the Fifth Element Academy and Inclusive Justice projects:
Professional mentoring & supervision sessions
At the start of the program, participants will work with mentors to identify their career goals and the skills/experience they will need to develop in order to find a position in this field. They will track the development of these relevant skills over the course of their placement. They will also take part in a participatory action research project to determine the pre-career learning and development needs of young people in their own networks.
Project design and management
Participants will be asked to identify a social issue that they are passionate about supporting or contributing to, and will receive support to design their very own project plan, from scratch. They will aim to deliver this project over a two-week period (September 21 to October 4).
Inclusive Justice Project - empowering and improving access to justice for newly arrived communities
Participants will work with a newly arrived community group and will conduct community/sector consultation and/or desktop research to contribute to a report on the social and legal needs of the community. They will also conduct a community-based research project to determine the issues around participation and agency faced by newly arrived communities, particularly within the community sector and workplaces.
Fifth Element Academy - engaging culturally diverse youth with education through culturally responsive programs
Participants will be involved in the planning, design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of Fifth Element Academy sessions, and will work with participants of the program (early teenage years) to create positive attitudes around learning and mainstream education. Participants will also conduct a community-based research project to determine the needs of young people from culturally diverse background, within education settings and youth programs.
Community Showcase
Participants will organise an online “showcase” event, to present their work and the findings of their research to stakeholders within the community, and in the community and public sectors (including prospective employees).
While participants will be involved in all the above activities, the responsibilities will be allocated across the team, based on their professional interest and course requirements.
What to expect from this program
While program participants often complete this program to satisfy their university student placement requirements, please note that this program is primarily a social change leadership placement. This means that, while you will gain professional experience and build contacts with individuals and organisations working in the community sector, the main focus of this program is for you to develop your confidence and ability to do the following:
to think critically about the impact you are seeking to achieve when you embark on a project or job
to learn how to effectively engage and meaningfully consult with your target audience/client group
to undertake community-based research to develop a strong knowledge base for your work
to design a project that meets the unique needs of your target audience/client group and will be impactful
to conduct monitoring and evaluation in order to improve your project design on an ongoing basis
to engage in strategic dialogue about the relevant issues with other stakeholders, for the purposes of systemic change
to think collaboratively and strategically in aligning you work with other existing projects
to handle basic organisational development matters required to manage your own project or organisation
This program will push you out of your comfort zone and stretch you. While you will receive mentorship and supervision from our Professional Mentors, you will be expected to work independently, be proactive and to take responsibility for your own professional development.
This program is also goal-oriented, rather than requiring you to simply clock x hours every week. You will enjoy the benefits of a flexible working schedule, but will also have to exercise discipline and excellent time management skills to make sure that you are making progress every week.
If you’re passionate about your professional area of interest, and want to know how to build a career as a social change leader, this is the right opportunity for you.
Join us at our Information Meet-up (stay tuned for more information) to meet our Program Director and to find out more.
