Our youth engagement framework brings technical and lived experience together, and is underpinned by an understanding that effective design is only possible if young people are meaningfully engaged in the process. Beyond this, we train and employ young people to lead the work themselves, developing young leaders across our projects, team and Board to drive innovative solutions in every sphere that we operate in.
Partnering with organisations, governments and communities, we believe that cross-generational collaboration is key to tackling complex social, environmental and economic challenges together. With young people leading the way, we are proud to design initiatives that are equitable, inclusive and build a better future for all.
2025 was a mammoth year of recognition for YLab. We are the proud winner of the 2025 Good Design Award of the Year and Best in Class across two categories (Social Impact, Education & Service Design) for our project, Deadly Democracy.
We also took home a Gold Good Design Award and Victorian Premier’s Design Award Best in Category (Design Strategy) for our project, Co-designing a Plan for Victoria.
In addition to these project wins, YLab was also awarded as a finalist in the inaugural Lord Mayor’s Small Social Enterprise Award.
Read the full case study on YLab’s website
The Department of Transport and Planning were looking for ways to uplift the City of Melton’s reputation.
In response, we proposed Good News Melton – a digital platform that connects the community through good, local stories as told by young people.
We employed ten young people aged 16–27 (five aspiring journalists from the City of Melton and five support team members) making Good News Melton 100% youth-led.
Participants engaged in weekly newsroom workshops to develop stories, while also learning practical skills in media and community engagement with support from local mentors and industry professionals.
Together, the team co-designed the Good News Melton website, brand and library of 33 stories that celebrate local changemakers, businesses and community initiatives.
The launch event at Melton Library brought together over 40 community members in celebration of their work, including the local MP, Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
In the first month post-launch, Good News Melton achieved over 5,400 story reads on its website and over 55,000 Instagram views.
With 1,500+ hours of paid work and 71% of participants securing further employment, Good News Melton demonstrates a replicable, place-based model that can yield tangible results, while also placing the skill and career development of young people at its centre.
We partnered with Gippsland Region Public Health Unit and a coalition of Councils (Bass Coast Shire Council, Baw Baw Shire Council, East Gippsland Shire Council, Latrobe City Council, South Gippsland Shire Council, Wellington Shire Council) to co-design a youth-led vaping prevention campaign responding to rising vaping rates among young people across the Gippsland region.
The project centred young people’s lived experiences, intentionally moving away from fear-based or lecture-style messaging. Instead, the campaign took a harm-reduction approach that acknowledges the social pressures, stressors and curiosity that often shape young people’s relationships with vaping.
Through a series of co-design workshops, young people shaped the campaign’s language, tone and focus. YLab supported them to develop, film and edit short videos of themselves sharing their experiences and opinions about vaping, alongside the creation of youth-designed posters for community and digital spaces. Young people retained agency over how their stories were told and shared.
The resulting campaign amplified authentic local voices and positioned young people as creators rather than passive audiences. This approach strengthened youth health promotion practice across Gippsland by embedding co-design, creative storytelling and meaningful youth participation.
This initiative was made possible through VicHealth’s Vaping Prevention Grant, supporting community-led and informed initiatives for reducing and preventing vaping harm among young people.
Young people within YLab have 100% of our Associate roles, are 75% of the delivery team, make up 33% of our leadership team and are 33% of our Board
270 young people received training and coaching
10,000+ hours of paid work by young people
95% of young people said their skills increased
32 client projects completed
