Awareness
Awareness is the first step in enabling young people's participation. Before a young person can say yes to an opportunity, they have to see it, and seeing it is never an accident.
For many young people, discovering an opportunity that feels genuinely relevant to them is rare. Most communication from organisations passes them by: too formal, too broad, or showing up in the wrong place entirely.
Organisations that get this right show up in the channels young people already use, carried by voices young people already trust.
Common challenges
What barriers do organisations face at this stage?
Awareness is often the first thing to fall off the list when programs are running. Every organisation surveyed identified time and capacity as their biggest barrier. Without dedicated time to invest in communications and outreach, building awareness and recognition among young people becomes difficult.
Organisations feel confident raising awareness in general, but struggle to connect with young people on the platforms they actually use. Many maintain a LinkedIn presence, but recognise that it is not an effective way to reach younger audiences.
Many organisations rely on informal partners, existing networks, and word of mouth to reach young people. Structured outreach opportunities—such as career fairs, open days, schools, and youth job portals—are often overlooked, leaving organisations without a consistent strategy for reaching the right audiences.
What we heard
Verbatim from Community of Practice members during the Awareness session.
We use LinkedIn, but we don't have a social media presence on commonly used platforms like Instagram or TikTok. There's nothing that really attracts young people, which we should have.
Community of Practice member
We don't have a broader process for attracting young people, such as direct school campaigns. Instead, we are connecting with orgs who are already connected with youth.
Community of Practice member
Guiding insights
What patterns emerged across every organisation we spoke to? Hover or tap any card for the insight behind it.
Young people engage more when something feels designed for a specific community rather than made to appeal to everyone. When the message feels relevant and personal, awareness can grow through peer-to-peer sharing among people who already share those values.
Young people are unlikely to simply stumble across an opportunity. Organisations that consistently reach them treat discovery as something to intentionally design, creating multiple pathways for young people to find and engage with their work.
Young people often discover opportunities through the communities they are already part of. Organisations with a visible, active community around their work are more likely to be discovered organically and trusted by new audiences.
Young people can quickly recognise the difference between genuine involvement and tokenistic representation. When they have real influence and a meaningful role in decision-making, they are more likely to become advocates—and awareness becomes something they actively help build.
Young people rarely engage after a single encounter. Familiarity and trust develop through repeated exposure across different spaces and touchpoints. Organisations that expect their first campaign to immediately land risk giving up before that trust has had time to develop.
Strategy Playbook
Nine strategies across three themes. Pick a theme, then open any strategy for a worked example.
A visible, predictable presence in the handful of spaces young people already spend time, online and offline, rather than broad coverage nobody notices.
Identify the one platform young people spend time on, and commit your effort instead of choosing every channel.
Find one upcoming event where young people already gather, such as a careers fair, expo, or festival, and offer an interactive activity.
Commit to a publishing schedule you can actually sustain, and hold it long enough for familiarity and trust to build.
Communication that sounds like a person, shows the real work in progress, and lets young people hear about the experience in a peer's voice rather than the organisation's.
Before publishing, read it aloud. Cut any word you would never say in conversation to someone in front of you.
Document the journey of your work, including the challenges, unexpected moments, and how young people have shaped it.
Bring in a young person who already makes content to produce fun, entertaining videos.
A living space young people return to between opportunities, with real ownership over what gets made and shared, so engagement outlasts any single program or post.
Create a moderated space where young people can talk between events, and seed it with content that gives them a reason to return.
Hand a young person or small group control of your social media, with a brief and payment for their time.
Find young people already enthusiastic about your work, and equip them to share opportunities in their own voice.
Reference Panels
Two tables that apply across stages rather than only to Awareness.
Incentives are not only financial. These five types cover what young people told us made an opportunity worth their time. Select one, or compare all five side by side.
Direct payment for time and contribution, through stipends, honorariums, gift cards, or award-wage roles.
It tells young people their expertise has real-world value, and removes one of the most common reasons they say no.
- Provide honorariums or gift cards to value youth time and skills.
- Offer award-wage roles to encourage sustained engagement and responsibility.
- Give flexible micro-grants that youth control to empower ownership.
Tangible professional experience in the opportunity itself, through paid roles, internships, or portfolios.
It gives young people proof of experience they can point to long after the work is done.
- Write reference letters and endorsements to validate contributions.
- Provide paid internships and project roles for real-world experience.
- Support youth to turn their job tasks into a career portfolio that showcases their achievements.
Skill-building and personal growth, through workshops, certifications, or mentoring relationships.
It makes the role valuable in itself, because every shift builds a skill they keep.
- Offer targeted workshops that help youth build new skills.
- Provide online courses and certifications to support continuous learning.
- Pair youth with mentors for guidance, growth, and confidence-building.
- Use reverse mentoring to elevate youth voices in trainings.
Formal acknowledgement of their contribution, through credits, references, or ceremonies.
It tells young people their work mattered and that someone is paying attention.
- Credit youth publicly on publications and social media.
- Host thank you events and award ceremonies.
Access to people and networks, through peer connections, introductions, and projects.
It gives young people a community to belong to and connections that outlast the role.
- Host peer networking events to facilitate connections.
- Connect youth with industry professionals and experts.
- Include youth in real projects to encourage collaboration with professionals.
- Organise community co-creation days to co-design programs.
Direct payment for time and contribution, through stipends, honorariums, gift cards, or award-wage roles.
Tangible professional experience in the opportunity itself, through paid roles, internships, or portfolios.
Skill-building and personal growth, through workshops, certifications, or mentoring relationships.
Formal acknowledgement of their contribution, through credits, references, or ceremonies.
Access to people and networks, through peer connections, introductions, and projects.
It tells young people their expertise has real-world value, and removes one of the most common reasons they say no.
It gives young people proof of experience they can point to long after the work is done.
It makes the role valuable in itself, because every shift builds a skill they keep.
It tells young people their work mattered and that someone is paying attention.
It gives young people a community to belong to and connections that outlast the role.
- Provide honorariums or gift cards to value youth time and skills.
- Offer award-wage roles to encourage sustained engagement and responsibility.
- Give flexible micro-grants that youth control to empower ownership.
- Write reference letters and endorsements to validate contributions.
- Provide paid internships and project roles for real-world experience.
- Support youth to turn their job tasks into a career portfolio that showcases their achievements.
- Offer targeted workshops that help youth build new skills.
- Provide online courses and certifications to support continuous learning.
- Pair youth with mentors for guidance, growth, and confidence-building.
- Use reverse mentoring to elevate youth voices in trainings.
- Credit youth publicly on publications and social media.
- Host thank you events and award ceremonies to celebrate milestones.
- Lead legacy projects or spaces to carry forward youth contributions long-term.
- Host peer networking events to facilitate connections.
- Connect youth with industry professionals and experts.
- Include youth in real projects to encourage collaboration with professionals.
- Organise community co-creation days to co-design programs.
Incentives are not only financial. These five types cover what young people told us made an opportunity worth their time. Select one, or compare all five side by side.
Another young person at a similar stage
Shared experience, encouragement without authority
To feel understood by someone who gets it, and less alone in the struggle
Often, and informal
A friendly colleague, close in age or stage
Answers questions, gives a tour, helps them feel included
To get familiar, slowly settle in, and ask questions without pressure
Daily, in the first weeks
A more experienced colleague, not their manager
Offers advice on handling workplace situations, projects, decisions, and culture
To build their confidence over time and navigate challenges
Periodically, over time
An internal or external coach or supervisor
Helps them reflect, build skills, track progress, and improve in an area of work
To build a particular skill, such as speaking up or leading tasks, or work toward a goal
Scheduled, regular sessions
Another young person at a similar stage
A friendly colleague, close in age or stage
A more experienced colleague who is not their manager
An internal or external coach or supervisor
Shared experience and encouragement, without authority
Answers questions, gives a tour, and helps them feel included
Offers advice on workplace situations, projects, decisions, and organisational culture
Helps them reflect, build skills, track progress, and improve in a specific area of work
When they want to feel understood by someone who gets it and feel less alone in the struggle
When they are getting familiar with a new environment, settling in, and asking questions without pressure
When they want to build confidence over time and navigate challenges
When they want to build a particular skill, such as speaking up or leading tasks, or work towards a specific goal
Often and informally
Daily during the first few weeks
Periodically over time
Scheduled, regular sessions
Ripple Opportunities
SYDNEY // NEW SOUTH WALES
FMN x Channel 10: Rethinking education on National TV
Australia is falling behind – not because young Australians lack potential, but because our systems are failing to keep up.
That’s why we took the conversation to national television.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYTyGDDMR8o
Our founder and CEO, Nathaniel Diong, appeared on The Project (Network 10), one of Australia’s most-watched current affairs programs, to speak on a crisis hiding in plain sight: the urgent need to reimagine education.
“Governments are so far removed from the real issues young people are facing. Even before housing affordability, we need job security — and that starts with an education system built for the future.
How can we expect young people to solve tomorrow’s problems if we’re not even giving them the tools to thrive today?”
Our current system was designed for a different era. It’s focused on memorisation, not innovation. On standardised tests, not real-world challenges. And while the world races forward, too many young people are being left behind — without the skills, networks, or opportunities they need to succeed.
This isn’t just about education. It’s about economic security, climate resilience, social equity. If we don’t act now, we’ll leave behind not just a financial debt, but a skills and opportunity debt that compounds across generations.
At Future Minds Network, we’re building the infrastructure young Australians need to thrive:
– Future-ready skills
– Meaningful job pathways
– Real-world platforms for leadership and innovation
Because when young people rise, everyone benefits.
FMN featured on China National TV
Global conversations are changing— and Future Minds is shaping what’s next.
We were featured on China’s largest English-language news channel —broadcast to over 1 billion viewers across 100+ countries. The segment featured our work in reimagining education, driving youth innovation, and unlocking inclusive economic opportunity for the next generation.
As we build toward Davos 2025 and this year’s theme, “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” we’re seeing a global shift: one that puts human capital, purpose, and technology at the heart of economic strategy. Our CEO and founder, Nathaniel Diong, was invited to speak alongside a lineup of international experts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70o7flGLHrs
On live TV, Nathaniel shared the urgent need to invest in future-ready skills, and reimagine education systems for real-world learning. He highlighted three key shifts we’re already seeing across the young people, employers, and communities we work with.
If organisations don’t keep up, they risk falling behind—not just in talent, but in relevance. This includes:
- Gen Z will comprise 40% of the workforce by 2030. This shift will require new models of intergenerational collaboration to tackle increasingly complex challenges with fresh perspectives.
- Purpose is now a workplace priority. 86% of Gen Z professionals want to work for companies aligned with their values. The future of leadership lies in building cultures where purpose and impact aren’t optional—they’re foundational.
- Gen Z is already using AI to grow. Almost half of Gen Z are using AI to build skills and stay competitive. Employers and educators must respond by investing in lifelong learning and digital fluency.
Thank you to China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Global Shapers Community, and everyone helping elevate these critical global themes. Let’s continue shaping a future that works for everyone.
NEXUS Summit: Young people and climate change
Climate change is no longer a distant threat—it’s the challenge shaping our present and future.
We were invited to speak at the 2025 NEXUS Australia Summit, a gathering of over 200 bold, purpose-driven leaderscommitted to reimagining the future of philanthropy, impact investing, and social change.
This year’s Summit was a powerful call to action — urging each of us to step forward with courage and creativity, to tackle wicked problems through collaboration, and to lead with vision in the face of uncertainty.
Our founder and CEO, Nathaniel Diong, joined climate leaders Amanda McKenzie and Sam Elsom to explore how the next ten years will define the trajectory of our planet.
Together, they unpacked:
- The urgent need to engage young people in climate action — not just as participants, but as co-designers of solutions
- How to channel our inner politicians to influence systems, policies, and power structures
- Why intergenerational giving must evolve to fund long-term, youth-led innovation and resilience
It echoed Future Minds Network’s vision: that when young people are equipped with the right skills, platforms, and networks, they don’t just adapt to the future — they lead it.
We left the NEXUS Summit more energised than ever to keep pushing boundaries— and to ensure young people have the agency to shape the future they’ll inherit. Together with the next generation, we’re building the skills and pathways needed to lead real, lasting change.
Where do you stand?
Rate your organisation from one to five on each statement. Nobody sees this but you.
Download The Nine Awareness Strategies
A one page summary you can bring to a team meeting, with the worked examples and the self-assessment.
All nine strategies across Channels, Messaging & Community Building
The worked example for each one
The Social Media 101 format table
The seven statement self-assessment, printable
