Student Changemakers: Peer Leadership Program
Build leadership skills, support your peers, and contribute to a podcast that amplifies international student voices.
Student Changemakers is a short leadership program for international students to develop peer leadership and communication skills, contribute to a student-informed podcast series, and connect with other international students!
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📍 Study Melbourne (CBD) | 🍽️ Catering included | 💼 Honorarium provided | 📜 Certificate on completion
In this program, you will:
- Develop peer leadership and communication skills to support and look out for other international students
- Learn how to recognise early signs when a peer may need extra support and respond in appropriate and practical ways
- Gain experience contributing to a real-world digital project (podcast) that amplifies international student voices and strengthens student communities
👉You must be aged 18 and above to join the program.
Facilitators you'll get to meet
Our guest facilitators are all ex-international students who stayed on and became therapists in Australia.
They've lived through what you're going through and will share all about their experiences!
They're also all bilingual facilitators speaking English and Mandarin. While the program will be delivered in English, know that you can reach out to our guests in Mandarin too.
Yi Tong from headspace Box Hill
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Week 1: Focusing on leadership, advocacy and using your voice
Jade from headspace Syndal
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Week 2: Focusing on what services are available and how to find them
On from Back on Track PsychologyÂ
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Week 3: Focusing on looking out for your peers without burning out
In partnership with
Session format
Sessions will run on Tuesday afternoons at 3pm - 5pm on March 10th, March 24th and April 7th.
Each session includes:
- 3:00 - 3:45: Leadership skills development activities
- 3:45 - 4:05: A shared food break
- 4:05 - 5:00: Guided focus group discussions
Podcast participation (optional)
- Interested students may choose to take part in a podcast recording and or production in Brunswick
- All dates, locations, and details will be provided in advance
💡All sessions will be conducted in English, however we'll do our best to make sure everything we discuss is clear to you. We'll also have some guest facilitators who are fluent in English and Mandarin too.
What is the time commitment?
The program includes three 2-hour sessions held at Study Melbourne (17 Hardware Lane, Melbourne CBD), with catering provided.
Students who choose to take part in the podcast may contribute up to an additional 5 hours, depending on their level of involvement.
đź’ˇEach time you join a session, you'll receive an honorarium (see below for more info).
Who is this program for / not for?
This program is for international students aged 18+ who are interested in building leadership skills, supporting their peers, and contributing to student communities.
It is not a counselling or therapy program, and it’s not designed for students seeking personal mental health treatment or one-to-one support.
💡Therefore, you're a strong fit for this program if you think that international student mental health and wellbeing are important topics.
And you would like to contribute your insights into helping the government shape better supports for future international students.
You'll be in a group of approximately 10 - 20 participants!
Express your interest now!Your guiding team
Asami 🇯🇵
Director of Shapes and Sounds
Registered music therapist:Â Loves getting things done: 17+ years' experience in mental health and wellbeing: Has a dog.
Asami is responsible for the whole program so if things go wrong (which they won't) look to her!
Marcus đź‡đź‡°
Programs Lead
Just graduated from Psychology Honours: Super organised and efficient: Research assistant too: Already a lead author on a research paper.
Marcus will be your main point of contact and will ensure you have all the info you need for the program!
Daleney 🇲🇾
Facilitator Support
Just started Psychology Honours: Warm, welcoming and funny: Interned at The Royal Children's Hospital, is a tutor, and so much more!
Daleney is here to support you during each session, look out for her if you're not sure what to do!
Yeo 🇲🇾
Podcast Senior Technical Producer
Musician and producer: Relentless pursuit of excellence:Â Performed all over the globe: Been making music before Spotify existed.
Yeo looks after our podcast and you'll get to learn all about production if you choose to stay on for this section!
About us
Shapes and Sounds is a Melbourne-based certified social enterprise focused on Asian mental health and wellbeing. We work closely with international students and Asian communities to reduce stigma by creating culturally responsive programs, leadership initiatives, and digital resources that centre student voices, build peer support skills, and strengthen international student communities in Australia.
We've partnered with Embrace Multicultural Mental Health which is a federal government entity to deliver this program. On completion of this program, you'll receive a certificate signed by both Shapes and Sounds and Embrace Multicultural Mental Health.
🎤Information about the podcast!
We’re excited to co-design season 5 of the Asian Mental Health podcast with you this semester!
Please note that Student Changemakers is open to international students of all cultural identities (not just Asian), and while we won’t change the name of our podcast this season, we’ll focus on all international student experiences as there are many crossovers across all cultures.