In Australia's diverse charity sector, there are thousands of fantastic stories about the impact charities have on their communities.
We recently spoke with registered charity Hear For You Limited about its important work, and the significant milestones its Board, CEO, management team and members have recently celebrated.
What does your charity do?
Hear For You’s staff and mentors, who are all deaf, empower Australian deaf or hard of hearing teenagers, whether they use hearing devices or sign language, to reach their potential in life. Our Board, with 80% of its Directors who are deaf, have hearing loss or a family member who is deaf, has an ultimate goal of connecting with more than 9,000 deaf and hard of hearing teenagers across Australia and helping them to achieve their dreams.
What is the most rewarding part?
Watching our graduates become adults who are full of life, embracing opportunities and living their dreams be it as a teacher, engineer or architect. They are not defined by their hearing loss.
What is the most exciting development from your charity recently?
We have just recently celebrated our 10-year anniversary, acknowledged with an event featuring Australia’s 25th Prime Minister The Hon. John Howard, as well as four young people who have benefitted from being a part of the Hear For You program.
We’re also pleased to have been offered a role in the Australian Government’s Hearing Health Roadmap Committee, providing a voice for deaf and hard of hearing teenagers.
Another exciting development has been the global launch of “League of Hearoes”, a world-first Minecraft private gaming world only for deaf and hard of hearing teenagers. It provides an opportunity to mentor teenagers in a safe environment online.
What policies does your charity have in place to protect and safeguard people in vulnerable circumstances?
As we work with young people who are typically aged between 12 and 18, it is important that we maintain strict policies to safeguard our teenagers. All Directors, staff and volunteers must agree to our Code of Conduct which includes guidelines on safe working with children practices. In addition, all staff and mentors undergo annual training on mentoring and working with children, and are requested to update their working with children and criminal history checks to be recorded in the Hear For You register.
Find out more about Hear For You on their website, or via their social media channels:
Interested in sharing your charity’s story? Email us at charitychat@acnc.gov.au.