INFOBUS October 4th 2018: Getting to know the ReachOut Online Community Team with Amirah
This month's Infobus continues with the theme of "get to know the ReachOut team" as we welcome our guest @Amirah-RO, our Online Community Manager at ReachOut! We are very excited to introduce our incredible manager and give you the opportunity to learn more about the team behind the scenes!
Next week, on Thursday the 4th of October from 7pm-9pm join us to get to know the ReachOut team with Amirah and talk all things forums, ReachOut, mental health, social work and life!
Amirah is an award-winning social worker and youth advocate with over ten years’ experience supporting ‘at-risk’ youth in Australia and abroad. She is also the Founder and Director of Taboo Talk, ‘A brave space for difficult conversations’. Amirah is a firm believer in self-expression and promotes the use of arts and culture as a means of empowerment. An example of this is her most recent collaboration with Bankstown Youth Development Service (BYDS) and Zeal Theatres in producing ‘To Be Honest’, a play showcasing the painstakingly honest and often untold stories of young people’s journeys overcoming homelessness, drug abuse, racism, family breakdown, and mental health issues.
Amirah spent most of 2017 travelling the world where she engaged with communities right around the globe, including Indonesia, Capetown, Tanzania, Dubai, Egypt, London and Germany. Having worked with thousands of young people across the world, and across sectors, Amirah feels confident in her ability to understand the diverse and complex needs of young people and how to best work with individuals to help realise their true potential. Amirah joined ReachOut Australia 8 months ago as Online Community Manager.
We are very excited to welcome Amirah as our guest! Do you have a question you would like to ask? Now is your chance to ask all the questions you have been wanting to ask and get to know Amirah better!
You can submit your questions for Amirah here and join the discussion Thursday night at 7pm 
We look forward to seeing you there!
If you would like to get a notification 30 mins before we start the infobus, high five this post!
@scared01 I'm putting myself into early retirement 
Knowing me, I'll still be working as a youth worker haha. A girl can dream 🙂
If you didn't work in mental health, what would you be doing? Probably something in community development. Working with refugees and migrants perhaps. The field of social work is so broad so there's still a lot I have yet to gain experience in. That's why SW is the best, it's impossible to get bored! 😄
Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Easy! Retired, on a hammock in Jamaica
Last questions before we wrap up tonight's infobus!
If you didn't work in mental health, what would you be doing?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
@Jess1-RO We are, aren't we! 🙂
What's something we can do to get more men working in the mental health field? Break the stigma and taboos surrounding toxic masculinity. We need to change the narrative about what makes a man, or any person "strong". We need more male role models in the sector speaking out too!
Where's your happy place? Bali! Haha or anywhere outdoors. Nature is the best healer 🙂
What's your favourite thing to do on weekends? Go out for brunch, dance, and visit my family!
What goals do you have for the next 5 years? I have been considering doing my masters in SW. I'd also love to do research in how certain external pressures forms and shapes our identity and sense of self.
Sounds like you've still got lots of things you'd loke to accomplish around mental health 🙂
Looking forward to hearing your answer to @scared01's question about self-care
i love the sound of your goals, what an interesting research project that would make too!
That sounds like it would be a great topic to research @Amirah-RO!
That makes me really happy 🙂
I have to go now but it was lovely speaking to everyone! See you all on RO 😄
While your working on some of the earlier questions @Amirah-RO, I'm going to post the next few for you
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
What advice would you give your younger self?
@litgym and @annabethxchase so great to see you are both interested in volunteering! That's how I started in mental health and it was so fulfilling. All of the amazing support that you both offer others on the forums is also a form of volunteering, and one that makes such a big impact in the lives of others! It is also that generosity and compassion that supports our community to thrive- every person here is a part of that too!
@annabethxchase if you go into the about us section of reach out there is volunteer page. there is many different types but since im under the age of 16, it’s quite limited in what I can choose. but im more than happy to be a casual volunteer!
@Amirah-RO While you were at school, where you ever faced with friendship issues? If so, How did you handle it?
@annabethxchase Yes, I was. I still face them now, 10 years later! Lol Back then I handled things quite differently. I didn't have the best communication skills and internalised a lot of things. Now, I just try to communicate things as clearly as possible and also have the confidence to realise when it's time to part and go seperate ways.
What strategies do you use/have you used?
Aw that's a shame @Amirah-RO but it's great that you stood up for yourself!
I tried to be really nice to these girls who were being mean but kinda gave up after 8 months and then just payed no attention tot hem and didn't let them see that they bullied me and eventually completely stopped caring what they said/how they acted!
