Do you dream of creating a space for teens where they can:
Be open and honest with no judgement,
Develop important life skills
& Completely embrace the person they truly are within?
Do you want to:
Hold space for them to feel heard and valued,
Co-create something they actually want
& grow a business doing it?
Then you, my friend, are in the right place!
2026 July Cohort
Ready to Start Your Journey as a Youth Mentor?
Something’s different about this round. For the first time in a while, we’re running the Youth Mentor Training as a live cohort – a small group of people starting together, going through it at the same time, with fortnightly live calls and personlised support.
If you’ve been thinking about this for a while… if you’ve maybe even visited this page before and clicked away… this might be the round you’ve been waiting for without quite knowing it.
Here’s what I want for you by the start of 2027:
You’ve run your first paid youth mentor session. Real young people. A one-on-one session or a group workshop. Money exchanged – because your time, your investment and your gifts are worth that. And you didn’t do it alone.
That’s the goal. Everything in this training, and everything we’ve built around this live cohort to support you, is designed to get you there.
Learn your way
If you can find 2-5 hours per week, on your daily commute, a weekend afternoon or an evening, you can learn and build your business. Fit it in around life now, don’t wait for the ever illusive moment where life is calmer 😅.
Graduate by the end of 2026
With access to a new module every 2 weeks, we’ll be celebrating together in December 2026 – a Youth Mentor! – and supporting you to have your first program up and running by January 2027.
And even if you get behind, you get lifetime access so can continue at your own pace.
Get deeply personalised support
While it’s an online group program, we’re here with you all the way. You’ll have a dedicated mentor of your own to check in with regularly, an on-boarding call so we know how to best support you through the training and we provide feedback and suggestions on your work as you start to get yourself set up.
Join a global community
Connect with 300+ youth mentors across 30+ countries at various stages of business, through our private community.
The course gives you the confidence to start. The community keeps you growing.
This is your chance to start building your youth mentoring business RIGHT NOW – with a live group to go through with and unprecedented personalised support. It’s all designed to realistically have you set up and earning money, doing purposeful work that fulfills you, by January 2027.
Maybe you’ve had this feeling for a while now.
A quiet pull.
A niggling sense that you’re meant to be doing something for the young people in your community – you’re just not quite sure what that looks like yet, or whether you’re ready.
You want to be a lighthouse for them. To hold a space where teens feel genuinely heard, safe and valued.
Where they know someone is in their corner.
And if you’re honest… part of you suspects that everything you’ve been through – the hard bits especially – might be exactly what someone younger needs to hear (or not ‘hear’ – you don’t need to share the details as it’s not about you – but that lived experience from someone who’s been through some things).
That it wasn’t all for nothing.
But you want to do this well.
You want the tools, the framework, the support around you from people who have been doing this a long time. You don’t want to figure it all out alone.
That’s exactly what we’re here for.
And you’re in exactly the right place.
Maybe you’ve had this feeling for a while now.
A quiet pull.
A niggling sense that you’re meant to be doing something for the young people in your community – you’re just not quite sure what that looks like yet, or whether you’re ready.
You want to be a lighthouse for them. To hold a space where teens feel genuinely heard, safe and valued.
Where they know someone is in their corner.
And if you’re honest… part of you suspects that everything you’ve been through – the hard bits especially – might be exactly what someone younger needs to hear.
That it wasn’t all for nothing.
But you want to do this well.
You want the tools, the framework, a community around you who gets it. You don’t want to figure it all out alone.
That’s exactly what we’re here for.
And you’re in exactly the right place.
The ideas keep coming. Let’s get them into action.
We’d love to help you.
Perhaps you’d just like a bit of guidance and community. A few TOOLS to make sure you create something that will really serve the young people you’re hoping to reach.
Perhaps you’re just ready for the next evolution of this important work and taking your career to the next level.
We’d love to help you.
MENTOR
[men-tawr]
Noun
1. A wise and trusted counsellor or teacher
2. An influential senior sponsor or supporter
Synonyms: Advisor, Coach, Guide, Instructor, Teacher, Trainer
Your age, background, experiences, how well your life is ‘together’ right now (or not!) – none of these things matter. Truly. No matter what, you’ll have a unique perspective and with the tools to hold an engaging, inclusive space, you’ll be in a great position to support young people in a preventative capacity (you’re not here to become their therapist and you don’t need all the answers). Yay!
MENTOR
[men-tawr]
Noun
1. A wise and trusted counsellor or teacher
2. An influential senior sponsor or supporter
Synonyms: Advisor, Coach, Guide, Instructor, Teacher, Trainer
Your age, background, experiences, how well your life is ‘together’ right now (or not!) – none of these things matter. Truly. No matter what, you’ll have a unique perspective and with the tools to hold an engaging, inclusive space, you’ll be in a great position to support young people. Yay!
“When I first come across Amanda’s work with young people, my heart was whispering me, you find the right mentor to learn with. Although life had other plans for me, so it took me another 4 years to finally start my Youth Mentor Training with her.
Despite the fact I was familiar with the field, and have done years of work with hundreds of children and adolescents, I listened to my heart and signed up for the training…It was one of the best decisions I made so far in my mentorship journey.
The training reflects the light Amanda carries: it is gentle, but deep, full of theoretical knowledge, as well as practical wisdom. Even for a person with a prior experience in the field, there is a lot to gain from this training first of all, a welcoming and professional community, and a sense of competence that follows graduation.”
*Winner, Best Program of the Year at the Beautiful You Coaching Awards, April 2017 🏆
Our Youth Mentor Training
is an award-winning* online certification that will give you the tools and training to nurture, mentor and hold space for young people, with support around you. You will learn how to connect with teens and tweens (we focus on ages 10-18 but some mentors also create programs for younger children), craft workshops and courses that could change their lives and do it in a way that supports your needs, strengths and lifestyle.
The business of starting and growing a youth-focussed business is also covered, ensuring that you can reach and support as many young people as you want to, in a variety of formats (one-on-one, workshops, retreats, online, schools, etc!). You will gain the knowledge and tools to work with young people in an inclusive and nurturing way, mentor them YOUR way and run successful, heart-centred events for them based on your strengths and passions.
We are global leaders in supporting the people who support youth and are on a mission to ensure every young person has a mentor.
ALSO: Once you start, you are stuck with us (we provide lifetime access, update the training regularly and host new masterclasses for our alumni regularly). We are devoted to your success and are with you as you start to play, right through to a thriving business.
Hundreds of people from all over the world, including Nigeria, Ireland, UK, France, Belgium, USA, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia (we’ve got lots of Aussies!), Oman, Tanzania, Vietnam, Spain, India, Dubai, Nepal and more have completed the Youth Mentor Training since it launched in 2016.
Let’s help teens together!
Can I really do this?!
You might be asking yourself, ‘Can I really do this? What will this look like for me?’
And the truth is, it will be different for everyone. The gap between having an idea and bringing it to life is part knowledge, part resources (the course will provide both of these) and part action (that drive, grit, courage and determination can only come from you, BUT it certainly helps having accountability and support!).
That’s why starting your own business is so stretching personally – it’s like a personal development intensive! You face fears, you face failure and you find the resilience to keep trying. But the passion you have and the need you can see in your community will drive you forward. The small wins you have along the way will keep you going.
It’s not for the faint hearted. And when I say that, it’s not about capacity…I started my business after cancer and had limited capacity (still do). I built slowly and enjoyed the process. I believe in ‘gentle business’ and share a lot of tips on growing your business sustainably in this course. But there are always new things to learn and overcome within yourself when you do work like this – I love it!
Are you up for the [gentle] challenge?
How could this look for me?
The beauty of this training is that it supports you to develop your own unique programs and build an intentional youth-mentor business that is best suited to your strengths, passions and lived experience as well as the young people in your community. If you’ve already started, this will plug any gaps in knowledge, connect you with personalised support and help you grow the business.
This will be so different for everyone and will require some testing and trial and error. We’re with you the whole way.
Some of the things you could do include:
1:1 Mentoring
Meet with your mentee regularly to check-in and set goals together. You could meet for ‘walk and talks’ at a park or along the beach, meet in a library or cafe or set up your own space.
Holiday Programs or Retreats
Bring teens together for an extended period with residential retreats or camps, non-residential holiday courses or term-long after-school programs or ‘night schools.’
Workshops
Run one-off workshops to bring teens together and learn something new. Wellbeing, life skills, productivity, creativity…you could cover anything!
School Incursions
Develop a workshop for schools, run programs to be delivered after-school or during sports afternoons, speak to entire cohorts or develop a curriculum for teachers or student support officers to purchase and deliver themselves.
Our Youth Mentor Training
is an award-winning* 6 month online course that will give you the tools and training to nurture, mentor and hold space for young people, with support around you. You will learn how to connect with teens and tweens (we focus on ages 10-18 but some mentors also create programs for younger children), craft workshops and courses that could change their lives and do it in a way that supports your needs, strengths and lifestyle. The business of running programs for youth will also be covered, ensuring that you can reach and support as many bright young people as you want to, in a variety of formats (one-on-one, workshops, retreats, online, schools, etc!). You will gain the knowledge and tools to work with young people in an inclusive and nurturing way, mentor them YOUR way and run successful, heart-centred events for them based on your strengths and passions.
We are global leaders in supporting the people who support youth and are on a mission to ensure every young person has a mentor.
ALSO: Once you start, you are stuck with us (we provide lifetime access, update the training regularly and host new masterclasses for our alumni regularly). We are devoted to your success and are with you as you start to play right through to a thriving business.
*Winner, Best Program of the Year at the Beautiful You Coaching Awards, April 2017.
Hundreds of people from all over the world, including Nigeria, China, Ireland, UK, France, Belgium, USA, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Oman, Tanzania, Vietnam, Spain, India, Dubai, Nepal and more have completed the Youth Mentor Training since it launched in 2016.
Let’s help teens together!
“Your course has truly changed my life and I’m finally taking a leap of faith to live my true purpose. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“You’ll get the right tools to get you ready to support the young people you want to here. The content was very engaging and thoughtful and has had such a positive impact on my work!”
Fola is now an additional support coach for us, so you’ll get to meet her in the training.
Why is this work so important?
⚡️ Globally, one in six people are aged 10-19 years. That’s 1.2 BILLION young people – more than ever.
⚡️ Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated.
⚡️ Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents globally and 29.9% of young people have experienced suicidal ideation.
⚡️ Some of the impacts of COVID-19 on young people include increased mental health or wellbeing concerns, identification of a lack of safe spaces and a lack of trusted relationships or someone to turn to.
[ Sources: World Health Organisation factsheet on adolescent mental health 2021; UK Youth Covid-19 Impact Report 2020; Journal of Adolescent Health ]
But you probably know all this already – that’s why you’re here! As mentors, we want to intervene BEFORE it gets to this point. We’re here to provide community and preventative programs that are mostly light, fun, practical and nurturing!
Young people are telling us that they are struggling like never before, especially during these unsettling times. As they try to find themselves and carve out their unique identity and place in the world they are faced with more scrutiny and comparisonitis than ever before. They have endless information and inspiration at their finger tips – they are connected yes, but can often be deeply disconnected from themselves, the people around them and the environment. They are growing up in an age when their online identity can sometimes feel more important than their ‘real life’ identity. It’s a time when they are feeling the weight of the world’s problems on their shoulders and need brave and nurturing spaces to feel heard and connected.
Now is the time for more support, connection and mentors to hold space for these young people. Now is the time for the village to come together to help support the child. And if we can help prevent some of the above concerns, all the better! We don’t have to have all the answers, we just need to be there.
But don’t just take our word for it. Two of the teens in our community shared what they most need from adults right now (it’s just 40 seconds long!):
“When someone just believes in you, it can increase your self worth but also increase your motivation to do well and to be well and to go well.”
“Having people to talk to who’ll actually listen and really be present…I find that’s a big thing for me.”
So, you want to work with young people?
Let’s see if this is the right place for you before we get into all the details!
- Do you want to learn how to hold an inclusive, brave space for young people (it could be gender-specific or open to all genders)?
- Are you invested in doing this really well, not after a quick cookie-cutter course to tick a box?
- Are you open to unpacking your own experiences and investing in your own personal development?
- Have you worked with young people before and now want to do it YOUR way, away from the bureaucracy of other systems you might have been apart of before? OR you’ve never worked with young people and are open and curious about how to do it well?
- Do you dream of building your own business (or growing your already established one), creating spaces and programs that are personalised for the young people in your community?
Still with us? Great!
Who it’s for
First and foremost, you want to work with young people (teens and/or tweens/pre-teens).
And you want:
- To be fully equipped – you’re not after a quick certificate – you know how much power we hold as mentors when working with young people and it’s deeply important to you to learn how to be a inclusive, nurturing mentor.
- To have an ever-growing toolkit of resources to support your teen and tween clients
- To create your own unique programs and offerings (we’ll help and provide feedback!)
- To grow a business (side-hustle or something that becomes your full-time thing) where you make all the decisions
- To grow something dynamic – you want to explore how to run different types of events, from 1:1 mentoring to retreats to school programs to workshops to circles etc so you have the option to grow a diverse business with multiple offerings and revenue streams down the track
- Proven frameworks, templates and alllll the things to make it easier to get started and grow
- A high-touch experience – feedback, live calls together, someone you can email anytime you have a question
- Accountability AND understanding and flexibility
- Clarity on how you can do this and get your ideas into action (even if you’re not sure what the details will be yet)
- To get to it (NOT faff about for the next 5 years trying to figure things out on your own)
- Lifetime access to every future iteration of the training
- To be part of a community with opportunities to grow, listed on our directory for referrals and multiple ways to facilitate and mentor teens within the Shine From Within community
- Whole business access – if you’re planning to start a business with someone else, they can do the training with you too, free of charge. We want to make sure everyone in your business has access to this, without it costing you more money.
Join us!
IN 6 MONTHS TIME* YOU’LL HAVE:
- A comprehensive toolkit to start mentoring right away
- The confidence to do this, knowing you’ve done the work to be an inclusive, nurturing youth mentor
- Your first (or next) workshop, program and 1:1 mentoring offer sorted, with feedback from us
- Clear pricing and marketing plan to start to build trust in your community and fill those spots
- Your ‘ducks in a row’ – business foundations of a youth-focussed business, risk management, etc sorted.
*Or faster/slower, depending on how you study and your current capacity. Most people finish the training within 6 months, dedicating approximately 2-5 hours per week to the training and implementing as they go.
PROGRAM DELIVERY:
- Nine modules (plus bonuses + ever-growing alumni resources) to support you to be a great mentor, develop YOUR OWN wonderful programs (school programs, retreats, workshops, camps, 1:1 series, online programs – we share how to do it allllll!) and build or grow your youth business.
- Lifetime access to 50+ Training Videos, PDF workbooks, editable worksheets and audios.
- Quizzes and worksheet submissions along the way for feedback and support to develop your own program.
- Fortnightly group coaching calls to connect and practice your skills on Tuesdays, at two times, to accommodate our students all over the world (recorded in case you can’t make any).
- Specialist interviews with our panel of expert guest teachers (you’ll realise just how much you can do with youth and get advice on everything from funding and partnerships to speaking in schools).
- 24/7 access to our dedicated membership portal and app to learn on the go.
- Private youth mentor community that you remain a part of long after you graduate.
- A behind-the-scenes look at our Shine From Within courses for teens and tweens.
- Done-for-you example templates, outlines, scripts, forms, student worksheets and schools proposals.
What exactly is covered?
Here’s a snapshot of some of the content we’ll cover in each module…
Before we dive deep into this work, let’s get to the heart of WHY you’re here.
💚 Get clear on WHY you want to work with youth
💚 Connect with what you specifically have to offer youth
💚 Identify your passions, strengths and experience that you’ll be able to tap into with your mentees so we can start to dream up magical, fun programs and supportive spaces!
What’s going on for adolescents (physically, emotionally, etc!) and our scope of practice as youth mentors.
💚 Understand common issues teens and tweens are facing
💚 The teen brain and what you can expect psychologically at different ages
💚 How to recognise triggers that will alert you to deeper issues so you can refer mentees on to specialists if necessary
💚 Legislation and scope of practice
Holding an inclusive space and facilitating discussions in groups or one-on-one.
💚 How to show up for ALL teens and hold an inclusive space (we’ll look specifically at gender diversity, accessibility including neuro-affirming spaces, and cultural background)
💚 Connect and engage authentically – how to introduce yourself and how much to share
💚 Understand and cater to different learning styles and personality types
Connection, engagement and encouraging self-exploration.
💚 Craft engaging content and understand group dynamics
💚 Active listening, building rapport, powerful solution-focussed questioning and using curiosity to foster a nurturing space for self-exploration for young people
💚 Going deeper: one-on-one coaching and mentoring techniques
SO. MANY. FUN. OPTIONS!
💚 What to consider with different types of events – circles, school programs and speaker opportunities, retreats, workshops, etc!
💚 The 6 stages to event success
💚 Behind-the-scenes look and example done-for-you outlines and checklists for all sorts of events
Curriculum and content development – let’s take action!
💚 Understanding the flow of workshops, embracing flexibility when delivering and how to frame and sequence effectively
💚 Finding your content and developing your curriculum
💚 You’ll be taking action steps throughout the course so far to now be ready to bring it all together into an outline and program to submit for personalised feedback and support.
Tried and tested strategies that work for this unique market.
💚 How to find and build a relationship with the folks who will pay you (whether you want to have a non-profit or for-profit business)
💚 Pricing – a step-by-step guide and feedback
💚 PR, social media, outreach, networking, advertising, launching schedules, sales pages – allll the things you need to understand to market your youth business
Get started or review your business foundations.
💚 Getting your ducks in a row – business set up, systems and our recommended tools for smooth sailing
💚 Risk management and protecting your youth-focussed business
💚 Done-for-you resources: terms and conditions, waivers, policies, booking and confirmation process, etc.
How to grow the business and thrive.
💚 The first 6 months – what to focus on and how to keep building momentum
💚 Developing multiple income streams (products, online courses, variety of programs, etc)
💚 Figuring out how you work best so you can grow a sustainable youth-focussed business
Want more detail? Click to see the complete syllabus
Welcome
- ▶️ Tour of the portal
- ▶️ Course Outline
- 📋 Community Guidelines
- 📋 Certification Guidelines
Module 1: Your Why
- 📓 Module 1 Workbook
- ▶️ Intro to Youth Mentoring
- ▶️ Your Why
- 📝 Getting to know you as a mentor
- 🎧 Meet your teen self audio-visualisation
- 📝 Values, passion + purpose
- ▶️ 2 x guest experts
Module 2: Duty of Care
- 📓 Module 2 Workbook
- ▶️ Teen Development
- ▶️ Issues Teens Can Be Faced With
- ▶️ Young People’s Rights
- ▶️ Understanding Gen Z & Gen Alpha
- 📝 Duty of Care reflection
- ✔︎ Duty of Care quiz
- ▶️ 2 x guest experts
Module 3: Mentoring Toolkit Part 1
- 📓 Module 3 Workbook
- ▶️ Powerful + Authentic Intros
- 📝 Crafting Your Introduction
- ▶️ Facilitating a Safe + Nurturing Space
- ▶️ Gender, Sex, Sexuality
- ▶️ Neuro-affirming Spaces
- ▶️ Inclusive Spaces
- 📋 Inclusion Checklist
- 📋 100 Icebreaker activities
- ✔︎ Module 3 Quiz
- ▶️ 2 x guest experts
Module 4: Mentoring Toolkit Part 2
- 📓 Module 4 Workbook
- ▶️ Group Dynamics + Learning Styles
- ▶️ Responding to Resistance + Conflict in Groups
- ▶️ Mentoring One-on-One
- ▶️ Beyond the Basics
- 📋 20+ Worksheets to use with your mentees
- 📋 Onboarding templates, pre-mentoring questionnaire, booking form templates etc!
- 📝 Engaging Content Creation (upload for feedback)
- ▶️ 3 x guest experts (running camps, curious listening, being an accidental counsellor)
- ▶️ Bonus: Mother-Daughter Retreats masterclass
Module 5: Workshops, Events + Speaking
- 📓 Module 5 Workbook
- ▶️ Venues + Collaborations
- ▶️ Smooth Events Part 1
- ▶️ Smooth Events Part 2
- 📝 Into the Mind of your Mentees (upload for feedback)
- 📝 The Nitty Gritty Details (upload for feedback)
- 📝 Your Curriculum (upload for feedback)
- ▶️ 3 x guest experts (developing your school proposal, growing a speaker business, taking mentees on overseas adventures)
- ▶️ Bonus: behind-the-scenes of our teen course and our tween course
- 📋 Various proposal templates, curriculum examples + lesson plans
Module 6: Develop Your Curriculum
- 📓 Curriculum Development Journal Prompts
- 📋 Co-creating with community
- 📋 100+ Workshop ideas from teens
- 📝 Continue developing your curriculum with feedback
- ▶️ 2 x guest experts (positive menstrual education, forest school principles and working outdoors)
Module 7: Marketing
- 📓 Module 7 Workbook
- ▶️ Marketing 101 + Who You’re Actually Marketing To
- ▶️ 3 Rules for Marketing in this Space
- ▶️ Pricing your Programs
- ▶️ Strategies That Work: Part 1
- ▶️ Strategies That Work: Part 2
- ▶️ Bonus: Sales Page Walkthrough
- ▶️ 3 x guest experts (public relations, launching, branding)
- ▶️ Bonus: Using Canva
- 📝 Who Are You Selling To
- 📝 Your Pricing Guide
- 📝 Your Marketing Checklist
- 📋 90 Day social media plan, launch schedule template, sponsorship checklist
Module 8: Business Foundations
- 📓 Module 8 Workbook
- ▶️ Getting Started
- 📋 Strong foundations checklist
- ▶️ Business Plan + Tools
- ▶️ Systems + Templates
- 📋 The best apps and tech to support you (spreadsheet) + using AI
- ▶️ Risk Management
- ▶️ 3 x guest experts (rites of passage experiences, legal requirements, insurance broker)
- 📝 Templates for risk management, code of conduct, releases and waivers, booking forms, refund policies, medical forms, etc!
Module 9: Business Growth
- ▶️ Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your First Year
- 🎧 Your year ahead as a youth mentor audio-visualisation
- ▶️ Multiple Income Streams + Offers
- ▶️ Growing a Sustainable Business
- ▶️ guest expert (partnerships and sponsorships)
- 📋 Complete resource pack for a 2 day workshop to edit and make your own (scripts, mentee worksheets, slideshows, marketing materials, etc!)
+ Lots of bonus guest expert sessions to tap into depending on your interest (starting a not-for-profit, running camps, yoga and mentoring, text-based mentoring, running online classes, body image and body neutrality, hosting first-moon circles, trauma-informed mentoring, supporting teens through friendship troubles, getting sponsors and funding, etc!)
You’ll get:
VIDEO LESSONS
Lifetime access to 50+ video lessons including our award-winning training and a peak behind-the-scenes of the most successful youth mentor businesses.
PDF LESSONS
Each module contains a PDF workbook for you to download with your reading material, action steps and extra resources.
POWERFUL WORKSHEETS
Practical step-by-step documents, templates and examples so you can implement everything as you go.
ONLINE COMMUNITY
A dedicated community (off social media!) to connect with other students 24/7, ask questions and support each other.
LEARN ON THE GO
Time poor or prefer to listen? The dedicated training portal app allows you to start a video, lock your screen and listen like a podcast.
LIVE GROUP CALLS
Fortnightly group calls to practice and answer any of your questions. These are held at two different times to suit most schedules and international time zones and are recorded so you can play back later.
GUEST TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Expand your idea of what’s possible and hear from our guest experts including psychologists, marketing and events specialists, school teachers, youth motivational speakers, business coaches and more.
MEMBERS PORTAL
All of your lessons and community are in a central, purpose-built, members-only portal making your learning experience as smooth as possible. PLUS you can download the handy app.
GENTLE PROGRESSION
The course progresses and builds on previous modules so you can keep moving forward and take mini actions in a doable way.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Engage as little or as much as you like – be partnered up with a buddy, join us for every group call together and keep up with the module quizzes and worksheets to keep moving forward OR
take it at your own pace and know you have lifetime access.
DONE-FOR-YOU TEMPLATES
Save time by starting with our templates and examples so you can get set up faster.
LIFETIME ACCESS
Lifetime access means that if life gets in the way then you can jump back in whenever you like. We also invite you to join us again LIVE on any future rounds for free. We love seeing alumni pop in and refresh their skills!
Plus!!
+ extra opportunities to learn and expand.
As well as the training, we host annual Youth Mentor Retreats (an additional cost) + opportunities (volunteer and paid) throughout the year to mentor the teens in our Online Academy (when available, and with support, so you can practice). Plus if you get certified with us (extra steps required beyond simply completing the training, such as sending us your current working with children check/police background check), we’ll add you to our Youth Mentor Directory for referrals!
Join Us!
Your teachers
AMANDA ROOTSEY | FOUNDER, SHINE FROM WITHIN
Amanda is your fiercest cheerleader! She’s been teaching and presenting to teens for over 20 years and has qualifications in business, events management, life coaching, youth mentoring, wellness, eating disorder prevention, feminist and inclusive practices, child safety and more (and will keep on learning and sharing this with youth mentors! Current reading and training obsessions: supporting neuro-divergent youth and using new technologies in mentoring!).
Amanda worked for a number of youth personal development and leadership schools in her late teens and early twenties while at university but founded Shine From Within in 2012 after going through a 2 year battle with cancer. It was this life-changing experience that lead to her drive and desire to create her own nurturing space for young people, to share some of the important lessons she had learned during that experience and, well, because hanging with young people is FUN! For over a decade, Amanda and her small team have been dedicated to educating and holding space for hundreds of teens to truly shine, inside and out.
Some of Shine From Within’s events have included Mother-Daughter Evenings and Retreats, Nourish Workshops, Back 2 School Workshops, School-based programs for primary and high schools, their signature 5-day holiday courses and 8-week ‘night schools’ for teens, 2-day courses for tweens, Sisterhood Evenings, one-on-one mentoring (in person and via Zoom), being involved in youth camps and conferences and providing a range of workshops for not-for-profit community groups. Amanda still spends 6 – 10 hours a week working with teens, mostly in our Online Academy with a small group of teens from all over the world. But the majority of her time now is spent supporting youth mentors via this training and consulting to organisations.
Amanda is a published author of Shine From Within; a teen’s guide to life (Hay House), has appeared on The Today Show (Channel 9), been mentioned as a ‘game-changer’ in The Collective magazine and has been featured in Peppermint Magazine, Cleo Magazine, Natural Health Magazine, The Australian, Inspired Coach Magazine and more. She’s recently been awarded 2022-2023 International Coach of the Year, 2024 International Coach of the Decade (!!) and her dedication to ethical, sustainable business has seen Shine From Within recently become certified as a B-Corp.
Why I created this program
I LOVE working with teens. But getting started on my own business with Shine From Within was tough. I felt alone at times and craved support from someone in the same industry. I reached out to a couple of women who I admired and looked up to in this industry but didn’t hear a response.
So when people started getting in touch with me after I had been building up Shine From Within for a few years, wanting to work with teens but unsure of where to start, wondering if they could do it and wanting to “pick my brain,” I just knew I had to find a way to support them. This course is the result of those initial ‘pick my brain’ chats and is evolving with every round of training to ensure you have the most up-to-date information and support. I truly believe that there can never be enough programs or support in the world for young people. If I can help you tap into your own values, strengths and passion to hold a space for teens that is uniquely yours, while also giving you all of the practical information I’ve learned along the way, then I’ve done my job (and thankfully that’s the feedback we get about this training time and time again!). It’s my dream to help more young people and I can’t do it without you – let’s help them together!
Your incredible Guest Teachers:
This is actually where the extra special GOLD is in this course! Peak behind the curtain of some the most successful youth-focussed businesses, plus tap into the wisdom of world-renowned experts. Their stories, tips and experiences will help you see what’s truly possible in this space so you can implement and apply what’s relevant for you in your own youth mentor journey.
Julie Parker
CEO, Beautiful You Coaching Academy
Julie's bio
Julie Parker is the Founder of The Beautiful You Coaching Academy where she passionately trains heart centered people to become life coaches.
Prior to Julie’s extraordinary success as a coach and coach trainer, she spent almost 10 years as a social worker and counsellor with youth at risk and then moved into not-for-profit organisations, eventually becoming CEO of The Butterfly Foundation, who support Australians with eating disorders.
In her 2 guest teacher interviews (1 just wasn’t enough!), Julie shares powerful coaching and engagement techniques to empower young people, how to create a safe space to support them, what to do if you think someone is thinking about suicide, ‘levelling up’ in your business and so much more.
Grenita Brooks
FOUNDER, International Mentoring Society
Grenita's bio
Grenita’s experience in the mentoring profession has prompted an urgency to create an umbrella of organizations that will serve youth from every walk of life at any age and stage of development.
Grenita’s passion for underprivileged and underserved youth has lead her to an Associates of Art’s degree with a focus on Early Childhood Development, a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, a Children’s Services Certification, and is nationally credentialed in nonprofit management. Additionally, she has a master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Central Florida.
Grenita has a background in Child welfare and Case management and she’s currently employed with Brevard Public School’s where she is a school-based social worker at McNair Magnet Middle School; the middle school she attended as a teenager.
Grenita shared her experience of starting a non-profit in the youth sector, what she thinks all youth mentors MUST have and how she is growing her organization.
Christina Leggett
PSYCHOLOGIST, Little Window
Christina's bio
Christina is a Psychologist and co-founder of Little Window. She’s passionate about the worth we place upon ourselves, self-care, nurturing from within, Neuropsychotherapy, and an holistic approach to mental wellness.
Christina has worked in diverse settings such as in a mental health unit facilitating quality of life programs, a senior counsellor at a national counselling service working with children and young people and a family therapist working with children using expressive therapies.
Christina has been interviewed by New York Times, NBC television and Women’s Health Magazine for her research on relationships and technology.
Thania Siaw
PSYCHOLOGIST, Little Window
Thania's bio
Thania is a compassionate, creative, gentle and intentional holistic Psychologist, and the co-founder of Little Window. For over ten years she has worked with adults, adolescents, children and families in a variety of settings and roles including a child/adolescent and family therapist, group therapy program developer and facilitator, adult mental health psychologist, counselling and clinical supervisor, case manager, child psychologist, and lecturer at a leading training provider in counselling and community services.
Thania has published research in the area of stress, nightmares and personality, and has been interviewed on radio and television about cyber-bullying and coping with grief.
Thania and Christina share so much insight into the adolescent brain, how to soothe young people when they’re feeling anxious, common issues they see in their practice, how disconnection can show up in young people and triggers to watch out for that may indicate the need for additional support.
Josh Shipp
BEST SELLING AUTHOR + YOUTH SPEAKER
Josh's bio
Josh, aka “The Teen Whisperer” is a former at-risk foster kid turned teen advocate. Hailing from the U.S. he’s the best-selling author of ‘The Teen’s Guide to World Domination,’ has spoken at Harvard, Stanford and MIT Universities and is a recognized teen expert for media outlets such as MTV, CNN, FOX, The New York Times and Good Morning America (oh and he’s been on Oprah).
His documentary TV series TEEN TROUBLE (A&E) followed his ground-breaking work with teens. He’s worked with groups of parents, educators & mental health professionals plus has spoken to more than TWO Million teens live.
His ultimate goal is to help as many young people as possible. He trains other speakers through ‘Youth Speaker University’ and his online mentoring program for teens ‘A Year of Awesomeness’ has a world-wide reach.
Mikhara Ramsing
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR
Mikhara's bio
Mikhara Ramsing is a social entrepreneur from Brisbane, Australia. She runs two social enterprises in the human rights space: Miks Chai, which sells ethically sourced, environmentally sustainable delicious chai to create connection through storytelling; and Ethnic LGBT+, a national website providing a safe place for members of the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) LGBTIQA+ community to share their stories.
She believes stories save lives and has travelled around Australia in a self-built tiny home connecting with rural youth. She has been nominated as the Young Australian of the Year QLD 2019, AFR Top 100 Women of Influence and was awarded a Westpac Social Change Fellowship enabling her to attend Harvard University and to work with LGBTIQA+ communities around the world.
In her guest teacher interview, Mikhara shares generously about sourcing funding, getting into schools, supporting youth in rural areas, collaborating with organisations, supporting LGBTQIA+ youth and more!
Johanna Parker
YOUTH COUNSELLOR + COACH
Jo's bio
Johanna is a life coach, speaker and counsellor through her beautiful business, Heart Sparks. She supports women and adolescents to confidently embrace their uniqueness and live incredible, purposeful lives.
Johanna spent 7 years in social work, counselling service coordination and leadership within the not-for-profit and government sectors. Now she spends her days being invited to speak in schools, at leadership camps, coaching and counselling her clients to create and sustain a life they love.
In Jo’s 2 guest teacher interviews (1 just wasn’t enough!), Jo shares about how she crafts her custom programs for youth organisations and schools, her tips for building rapport with students, how to build relationships in your local community, how to find your story and feel comfortable putting yourself out there and so much more.
Dr. Arne Rubinstein
CEO, Rites of Passage Institute
Arne's bio
Dr Arne Rubinstein is an expert on adolescent development, with 30 years experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator. His programs and seminars have been been attended by over 25,000 people globally and are designed to support boys to successfully make a safe, healthy transition to young men, with a particular focus on creating coming of age Rites of Passage.
In 2008, he was nominated for Australian of the Year for his groundbreaking work with youth.
In his guest teacher interview, Arne shares about how to facilitate rites of passage for young people, the power of stories in connecting and teaching, the differences between holding space for males and females, how to build a socially-responsible business and lots more.
Jane Bennett
FOUNDER, A Celebration Day for Girls
Jane's bio
Jane is a researcher, writer, counsellor and educator who is passionate about natural fertility, menstrual wellbeing and holistic contraception. Her books and programs offer girls and women the means to understand and have a positive and empowered relationship with their bodies, their fertility and their cycles so that they are able to make informed choices and have these choices respected.
Jane is the founder of A Celebration Day for Girls, a workshop for girls aged 10-12 and their Mothers or carers, which she now trains facilitators to deliver all over the world.
In her guest teacher interview, Jane shares the importance of facilitating discussions around menarche with girls, simple and practical ways for parents to prepare their daughters for this transition and all about her programs for teen and tween girls, including how she gets the parents involved in the workshops.
Cameron Airen
CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO, Feminist Coach Academy
Cam's bio
Cameron Airen (they/them) is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the Feminist Coach Academy and gender consultant.
Cam has a Masters degree in Anthropology & Social Change from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and a B.A. with honors and an award of Excellence in Women & Gender Studies from Eckerd College. They are passionate about queer feminism with intersectional frameworks, and supporting helping professionals and entrepreneurs to have an inclusive feminist and social justice foundation.
Cam has a background in fitness training, running coaching, counselling, feminist coaching and has been a solo-entreprenuer for 14+ years. They’re also a professional astrologer.
In their guest teacher class, Cameron shared important tips on how we can ensure our work with youth is inclusive and we got to ask lots of questions around gender.
Michael Maidens
LAUNCH SPECIALIST
Michael's bio
Michael Maidens empowers people with a unique, systematic approach to create a thriving business to support creating an amazing lifestyle. He brings a unique combination of performance psychology learnt as a former full time athlete, systematic approach from writing business software for 10 years, together with his most recent focus of reaching and impacting an audience online. He’s come up with the strategy for some of the biggest online launches in the world, naming Food Matters and Hay House as some of his top clients. Most importantly, he shares a way of marketing that’s authentic and deeply rooted in service.
We were so lucky to have Michael join us at one of our Youth Mentor retreats and we captured the magic in this bonus expert class!
Heather Yelland
FOUNDER, Green SuperCamp
Heather's bio
Heather is the Director of the Green SuperCamp Australia programme, creating personal leadership, academic acceleration and environmental awareness education for young people aged 10 to 18 years. Green SuperCamp has had 780 students through it’s doors over the last few years. She has formal training in Psychology, Business, Family and Systems Theory, and Arts and has been a ‘people and business’ specialist for over 25 years.
In this guest teacher interview, Heather shares some of the latest research on young people today, how to truly connect with them and give them permission to express themselves in all their glory, how to create ‘communities of care’ for young people, why your age (young or old) doesn’t matter when it comes to working with youth and lots more.
Annie Crowe
AUTISTIC EMPOWERMENT COACH + DISABILITY ADVOCATE
Annie's bio
Annie (She/Her) is a proud Fat Autistic ADHD Lawyer and Autistic Empowerment Coach who is passionate about disability and health equity. She supports Autistic folx in self-advocating for their needs through education on disability rights and navigating systems (including health, education and employment).
In 2022, Annie successfully founded and set up a not-for-profit, Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia (EDNA), that has singlehandedly put neurodivergent people on the map (finally) in the eating disorder sector to ensure our unique needs are met by the mental health system. EDNA helped develop the first National Eating Disorder Strategy in Australia that is due out in August 2023.
Annie spends her time supporting our neurodivergent community through systemic advocacy, self-advocacy coaching, global speaking engagements, and with her wonderful podcast Princess and the Pea – except when she’s burnt out, which she says is still far too often with a toddler to keep up with. Annie is a campaigner of radical acceptance and creating neurodiversity-affirming environments where our community can not only survive but thrive.
In this recording from our 2023 Youth Mentor Conference, Annie shares how we can create neuro-affirming environments for young people.
Rocky Biasi
FOUNDER, Human Connections
Rocky's bio
Rocky Biasi created the Accidental Counsellor Training in 2008 from his experience as a secondary high school teacher, school counsellor also in private practice for over 23 years. Since that time he has presented this training along with student wellbeing and mental health programs to over 10 thousand people across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.
Rocky presents a great framework for supporting a young person (or anyone!) through a challenging situation, helping us to be an ‘accidental counsellor’ when necessary.
Amy Efstathis
PARTNERSHIPS + SPONSORSHIP EXPERT
Amy's bio
Amy Efstathis is a partnerships, fundraising, and marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in cause-focused organisations. She now supports small charities and businesses to get big results on a budget.
Amy’s session guides us through how we can determine the value and impact of our business (or future potential!) and steps us through how to create a partnership/sponsorship proposal.
Adefolashade Fadeyi
Founder, AF Consulting
Fola's bio
Adefolashade Fadeyi—fondly known as Coach Fola—is a Parenting Strategist and Teen Ecosystem Consultant with over 20 years of experience equipping families, schools, churches, and institutions to raise future-ready teenagers.
She is the Founder of ADF Consulting (Adolescent Flourishing), a systems-driven organization that helps communities, educators, and faith-based institutions redesign how teenagers are supported emotionally, structurally, and socially. Through The Executive Parent Ally (TEPA), she also supports C-suite professionals and high-performing parents who want to lead powerfully at work and at home without sacrificing one for the other.
At the heart of her work is a bold national vision for Nigeria: to position the teenage years as the most strategic window for shaping values, leadership pipelines, and generational transformation. Her work goes beyond surface parenting advice, she builds tools, frameworks, and systems that produce long-term change.
She is also a speaker, youth advisor, and the author of Finding Me and Leading Myself.
Fola is a graduate of the Youth Mentor Training.
Kim Smith
FOUNDER, Standing Strong
Kim's bio
Kim Smith is the founder of Standing Strong Wellness Clubs, a unique membership program, specially designed to work with parents and communities to help educate, motivate, and inspire children to live to their full potential. Endorsed by Oprah, Standing Strong provide evidence-based face-to-face programs, online wellness classes and community and have clubs opening up all over the world.
Kim has just been named winner of the 2020 Telstra Business Women’s Award for purpose & Social Enterprise WA, Australia.
In this guest teacher interview, Kim shares her very specific tips on getting started in business and protecting your ‘baby,’ how she got Oprah to endorse her business, how she advertises, and why she believes in the power of youth programs outside of school.
Nicki Farrell
CO-FOUNDER, Wildlings Forest School
Nicki's bio
Raised on a farm in remote South Australia, Nicki’s favourite childhood memories are of family camping trips, climbing trees, hiding amongst wool bales and rock-hopping over rock pools.
Accidentally stumbling across the respectful/attachment parenting philosophy shortly after having her first child, enabled Nicki to begin to trust her child’s innate curiosity and insatiable appetite to learn through play, which in turn led the family down the rabbit hole of alternative education options.
Nicki’s passions and expertise lie in outdoor recreation, educating educators, creating community connections, ecological literacy, environmental protection and stewardship, and ensuring diversity and alternatives in our education systems to better prepare our children for an uncertain future.
Nicki Farrell joined us at the 2024 Youth Mentor Conference and shared her insights on running a forest school for children. If you’re interested in supporting young people to be out in nature then you’ll absolutely learn some tips here from Nicki!
+ more!
Meet your youth mentor ‘mentor,’ Rashmi!
Based in Bangalore, India, Rashmi’s wanderlust for life’s experiences have taken her on various routes and detours – that of a freelance writer, women’s circle facilitator, learning design consultant and trust circle facilitator for teens and others. She uses dance, movement, drama, arts and storytelling to express herself and connect with people.
She has had the opportunity to work with and experience fellowship programs, children at risk, people with disability and the LGBTQ population. She is passionate about initiating deep conversations around various topics including gender roles, values, behaviours, human experiences and much more.
Creativity is a way of life for her. She creates and holds safe and sacred spaces that allow participants to explore, engage, educate, heal and thrive in their true authentic selves. The foundational pillars of her work are inclusion, equity, community building and respect.
We’re extremely blessed and honoured to get to tap into Rashmi’s wisdom as a support mentor for us all in 2026!
What makes this program unique?
There is no other training like this. We’re the original teen coaching + mentoring program (established in 2016!) and we focus on empowering YOU to do it your way. It’s not a TAFE course to become a youth worker or social worker, so if you’re looking to get a job in your local government agency, this isn’t the course for you. It’s also not a franchise where you get a specific program and script to deliver as Shine From Within. Instead it trains you to be a great mentor for teens and tweens AND guides you to create something unique for you (even though we DO provide a bunch of templates and examples to help you get started!). It honours YOU and puts you in the driver seat.
You might focus on 1:1 mentoring, or create a school program or keynote speech, or an online program for teens, or a camp, or a retreat, or casual weekly circles, or life-skills workshops or a business that includes allll of the above. Your community and how you hold space will be unique and we support you to tap into, and build, your own confidence as well as tapping into your local community to create YOUR version of youth mentoring and grow your unique business with out-of-this-world amazing offerings for teens and tweens! It’s not for the faint hearted – it takes time to build a business and build a community. Let’s do it together!
Plus the lifetime access part means you get to STAY up-to-date on issues that are affecting teens in the moment, with people who are engaging daily with teens and tweens. The training is constantly being updated and our alumni get access to new masterclasses (youth and business) regularly. Woooo! AND you get the option to come and teach classes with our teens in the Online Academy too – ‘on the job’ training from the comfort of home #winning.
We’re also running what we like to call a ‘gentle business’ so we don’t mind if you get behind (take care of you – that’s why you’ve got lifetime access!) and we’ll often take a few days to get back to you if you email us. That’s just the way we roll as a very small team of part-time folks who are also neuro-divergent, carers, working from all over the world and blending this wonderful work with life, trying to find the balance.
Hear from some of our graduates
(we’re so ridiculously proud of them!)
Amanda recently interviewed one of our graduates, Evie Wilson (Stardust Squad) for The Youth Mentor Podcast and at the end she asked Evie why she enrolled in this training and how it supported her (especially as she was already a teacher, life coach and Mum to tweens).
Karen teaches yoga and kids yoga teacher training in, Australia, UK and Singapore. She shares what drew her to the Youth Mentor Training and what she got out of it.
Eddie is a primary school teacher turned youth mentor and the founder of Looking For Ladybird on the Gold Coast, Queensland Australia. She’s hit the ground running since graduating in mid-2021, leaving her full-time teaching role and now offering 1:1 mentoring, workshops and online programs. We’ve also hired her to deliver some of our school events.
Mazoon is from the Sultanate of Oman. She has spoken at and participated in conferences and youth forums in Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Russia, USA, Lebanon, UK, Tunisia, Azerbaijan and Kenya and is the founder of many initiatives in Oman. She has also run a few classes for us in the Online Academy!
Ali is the founder of Energised Minds in Perth Australia. She runs holiday programs, one-off workshops and online classes to empower teens and tweens.
Peta recently graduated and has been volunteering with a school-based mentoring program and is busy getting her business up and running behind-the-scenes!
Meet Fola and hear a little about how she works with teens and their parents in Lagos, Nigeria. Fola supports our training too so you’ll get to meet Fola when you join us!
Meet Sarah, who helps girls find authentic confidence, inner strength and resiliency…..all from within. She supports teens, tweens and Moms with workshops in her home town in Canada, as well as in our Online Academy.
Lissa works with girls in Tanzania and has also taught some classes for us in the Online Academy. Have a watch of her reflections straight after running a class with our teens. She has some lovely insights!
Our graduate Jo, with her sister Susie, run Grateful for Me on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland Australia. Here they share with us a little about their journey at one of our Youth Mentor Retreats where they sat on an alumni panel.
Sabine started Core Confidence in Perth, Australia after graduating. She has evolved this now to Worth Beyond – focussing on eating disorder recovery coaching.
Tanya is the founder of Girl Shaped Flames, Uniq You and Trellis, working with teen girls, schools and now early-career women too! In the last 3.5yrs she’s worked with over 3000 young people, parents and educators around Australia and founded a charity to connect women in male-dominated industries with high school girls.
Bec is a former teacher who burned out and started her mentoring business. Now she mentors about 25 students per week through a school (the students have a dedicated room where they then meet with Bec via Zoom for one-on-one mentoring) and her own private mentoring clients. Bec also facilitates lots of our sessions in the Online Academy.
Shivani is based in Sri Lanka, where she runs wonderful programs for children and teens in Columbo.
Some more kind words from around the globe…
The Shine From Within Youth Mentor Training Program is right for you if:
- You haven’t worked with youth before and would like to feel comfortable holding a space for them OR
- You have worked with youth in another capacity but would love to branch out to run your own personalised workshops and programs OR
- You work with adults already and would like to tailor your content to suit adolescents
- You are a kind soul, genuinely interested in supporting young people to be the best version of themselves
- You realise the great responsibility that comes with working with young people and are eager to ensure you do this the right way
- You have an open heart and willingness to learn new things, despite the qualifications you already have
- You believe in investing in your own personal development, growth and self-care
- You want to start or grow a youth-focussed business/organisation and have the drive to do this
- You may feel a little scared but are willing to give this all you’ve got and put in the work
- You know you’ll get out of it what you put in – you’re willing to show up, ask questions and engage in a way that suits your own learning
The Shine From Within Youth Mentor Training Program is not right for you if:
- You are not willing to put in the work and devote at least 2 hours per week to your studies and be on group coaching calls where possible to be the best youth mentor that you can be
- You want to support youth with serious health/mental health issues beyond the preventative space – you will need to invest much more time and money into a university degree for this
- You do not have patience for young people
- You already feel like you have a high level of skills and knowledge when it comes to mentoring youth and growing a business
- You are looking for detailed scripts to run Shine From Within programs – this course will give you the tools to create your own content (though now we do actually include a couple of bundles of scripts and course outlines, worksheets, etc!).
- You just want a platform to talk, air your problems and share your views and opinions with young people (without considering their needs or providing a space for them to grow and develop).
- You don’t have capacity to learn, implement and take action
Join Us!
WE START JULY 7!
Join this live cohort and you’ll also get:
– A Youth Mentor Website Template so you feel professional right from the start
– Post cohort group business coaching: 6 weeks of support to ensure you get your offering out into the world
Select your preferred payment option below and you’ll be taken to a booking form. All prices in Australian Dollars.
[+GST for Australian residents.]
Pay upfront
BEST VALUE- Approx US$2450
- GST will be added at checkout for Australian residents
- Pay upfront and we’ll post you out a copy of our new Shine Club Curriculum – 52 weeks of session plans in a beautifully bound folder. Expected Delivery: August, once the refund period has passed. Worth $2000.
Pay monthly
6 month payment plan- Approx US$425 per month for 6 months
- Total amount AUD$3570, paid in 6 monthly instalments
- GST added at checkout for Australian residents
Extended monthly
12 month payment plan- Approx US$215 per month for 12 months
- Total amount AUD$3660, paid in 12 monthly instalments
- GST added at checkout for Australian residents
Once you enrol, you’ll receive a welcome email and invitation to book in your onboarding call with me (Amanda!) – can’t wait to meet you and support you over this next 6 months and beyond.
If you’re looking for scholarship or Pay What You Can options, please have a look at our FAQs at the bottom of the page.
And if you’ve still got questions, book in a 30 minute call with us today.
What if it’s not for me?
If you start the training and realise it’s not for you within the first two modules, you’ll be able to exit the training and receive a full refund, minus a $200 admin fee. After that, you’re all in! Full terms of enrolment are here.
For the first time, we’re offering a physical binder with a year’s worth of weekly sessions to deliver in your community via our new SHINE Club Curriculum. Imagine having this in your hands before you even graduate! We haven’t launched this publicly yet but when we do it will be by application only and at a cost of AUD$2000. It’s our biggest and best bonus yet.
Only available for folks who pay upfront as it costs us a significant amount to develop, print and deliver. Delivery of the curriculum is expected to be in late August, once the refund period has passed (just in case you decide the course isn’t for you!).
“All of us have the ability to come into a room and to be an unwavering pillar of belief for a group of young people…that’s something we can choose for ourselves right before we step into a room and that alone, is a really powerful thing for a young person,” Jo Parker [Guest Teacher]
Frequently Asked Questions
When do we start? How much can I make? Is this an inclusive space? What if I can’t afford it? Click below to find out!
FAQs - click to open
Can I study the Shine From Within Youth Mentor Training online?
Yes! The entire course is delivered online, with optional in-person retreats (we try to run one retreat per year) and parts of the retreat are often filmed and shared with all youth mentors.
Do I attend 'classes' online or is it self-study?
It's a self-study course. All of the video lessons are provided in your dedicated member's portal so you can choose when you study. We provide a variety of formats so that if you prefer to listen to the lessons on your commute to work or you want to scan through the transcript/captions, you can do that too/instead. The only live component are the live group coaching calls held at various times to suit different timezones and the 1:1 coaching calls that you schedule yourself.
Is it compulsory to be on the live group coaching calls?
No. The group calls are optional and are usually recorded for you to watch them at a later date if you choose to.
When does the course actually start?
We start Module 1 on Tuesday July 7th and you'll get access to a new module every two weeks. Our first call together will be Tuesday 14th July. You have lifetime access so you can move faster or slower as needed.
I'd love to do this training but am not in a position to afford it. Do you offer any financial support or scholarships?
We are committed to making this training accessible and in fact we recently extended the training and reduced the price! We did this because we know that these couple of years have been particularly challenging for many and we want to support more students. We also provide a Pay What You Can application process for those who are not in a position to afford the full rate and/or hold a marginalised identity. There are a limited number of places available for each round and you can complete the application form here. We don't ask you to share specifics about your identity or circumstances but encourage you to share whatever you feel is relevant. You then nominate how much you can afford to pay (note: you can also say $0 if that is true for you). Historically, the majority of these places have been given to those who live in emerging and developing economies or people with a marginalised identity.
Do you hold a safe, accessible and inclusive space?
We cannot of course guarantee a safe space as it's impossible to know what makes each person feel unsafe, or control what others do within the group. Holding a brave and inclusive space that minimises any harm is absolutely our highest and most valued intention. We have robust community guidelines in place to ensure minimum harm is done and ensure that everyone feels welcome. We have a global community of mentors from over 30 countries but it's still a white dominant space. As such we are continually learning as a team (engaging consultants and completing training on Unpacking Privilege, Whiteness at Work, etc). We also have additional support mentors - Adefolashade Fadeyi from Nigeria, who hosts catch ups with all of our mentors based in Africa as well as attending any group calls that she can, Aruna Pant from Nepal, who has years of experience working in NGO's throughout the developing world and who also attends any group calls that she can and Rashmi Balakrishnan from India who joins us too. They are ll active in our community as well and have helped us to bring this new iteration of the Youth Mentor Training to life. You can read about our commitment to social justice as an overall business over on our commitment page. If you'd also like to see our community guidelines, please email youthmentors@shinefromwithin.com.au.
Accessibility
The training is delivered in a neuro-affirming and accessible way for all sorts of needs. We can also personalise the level of support depending on what trainees tell us they need on their enrolment form. Every lesson is delivered in video (with English captions), audio and transcript format so trainees can access the materials in a way that best suits them and their style of learning and live-captioning is provided on our calls together. Video classes also have the option to adjust playback speed. Our member's portal and all PDF workbooks, transcripts and worksheets are compatible with screen readers for visually impaired trainees.
We hold a gentle space on our live calls together and encourage trainees to show up however they need to in the moment (video on/off, audio on/off, verbal/non-verbal, and to move around, fidget and come and go as they need in order to take care of themselves). These calls are recorded for trainees who prefer to watch them back in their own time. We provide regular reminders, structure and a variety of accountability options for trainees, while also providing life-time access so that there is plenty of flexibility for trainees to move through the training in a way that works for them.
If there's anything we can do to make navigating our space easier, we welcome you reaching out and have a spot on the booking form for you to let us know what learning or accessibility needs you'd like us to be aware of. Whilst it is a self-study, group training program we do provide a high level of personalised support via email for anyone who requires it.
Is this just for girls?
No. While our branding is quite pink (I can't help it - I love it! haha) the Youth Mentor Training is open to all genders. Equally, it is perfect for you whether you want to focus on running programs for girls, boys, non-binary, transgender and ANY young people, regardless of how they identify. We encourage our mentors to challenge the gender binary and ensure they are holding a safe and inclusive space for all genders, even if they want to focus on particular topics that are usually quite gender specific. Our experience at Shine From Within has been focussed mostly on young people who identify as girls (hence many of the photos and examples!) BUT we have experience with all gender expressions and have plenty of guest experts in the training who have more experience with other genders, as well as a masterclass with a gender consultant. If you identify as male and are wondering if this course is for you as a youth mentor, please do join us. Just know that 99% of mentors who have joined us so far do identify as female or non-binary. We'd all LOVE to have you though!
It's also part of our community guidelines that we don't make assumptions about gender in our community spaces (calls or the private group). So when you come into our space and post something or comment, we ask that you don't use terms such as, "Hey ladies," or "Hi guys!" or "Thanks girls."
You might come across some training videos or guest expert interviews in the course where I still talk about 'girls' - we're slowly updating everything to make it all gender neutral. It's a process, as is unlearning the gender binary! Something we can all work on together to ensure safe and inclusive spaces for the young people we support.
Will I be able to run Shine From Within programs at the end of the Youth Mentor Training?
You'll have everything you need to create and sell your OWN programs, as well as examples and a resource pack to deliver some of our programs as a good place to start (includes scripts, outlines, student worksheets, powerpoint slides, playlists, marketing material) so you have something you can start with too. You'll run this as your own business though. Nothing we provide in this training is a license to represent Shine From Within in any way. If you pay upfront with this round of the training we have a very special bonus - our new SHINE Club 52 week curriculum. It's 52 weekly session plans to run your own SHINE Club in your community - this is a physical binder that will be posted out to you once the refund period has passed (as it's quite an expensive physical resource that we'll print and deliver to you). We haven't shared this publicly yet but when we do, it will be by application only and at a cost of AUD$2000.
I'm afraid that I'm too old or too young to work with young people. Is there an age-limit for your course?
No there is no age limit. We have met incredible youth presenters in their 60's and incredible youth presenters in their early 20's. Both have wonderful advantages and we'll help you hone in on authentic ways for you to personally connect with your students. So far our youth mentors range in age from 16 - 65.
Do you have a refund policy?
Yes! If you decide the course isn't for you within the first two modules (the first 4 weeks), prior to receiving access to Module 3, you can withdraw and receive a full refund, minus a $200 administration fee. Please ensure you understand our complete terms and conditions before enrolling.
How much money can I make doing this work?
This is totally dependent on you, how you like to work, how big you want to grow it, your capacity, the youth you want to work with, the type of events you decide to create, the community you are in, etc. You can absolutely make money doing this and you should (otherwise you won't be doing it for long and the students who need you won't have anyone there to help them).
To give you an example and show you the scope, we charge $12 for a place at our Sisterhood Evenings and $1180 for a place in one of our week-long courses. There's usually at least one student in these week-long courses that's come along on a scholarship or has been supported through a community organisation. The more you get into this space, the more you realise how many ways you can get paid - you can support students at risk while still ensuring you can feed your family and you don't need to be a registered not-for-profit to find ways to access funding and sponsorship money for your business.
One of our guest teachers' charges $10,000 every time he speaks in a school (note: this is not the going rate to speak in a school so please don't expect this for yourself straight up!) - the sky is the limit and it all depends on YOU. Some of our mentors run their youth business more like a 'side-hustle' and some grow it to run regular events or have a full roster of 1:1 clients, or run quite big events a few times a year. One thing is for sure, it does take dedication, time and work to grow it to the point that it will sustain you so if you're willing to dive into this head-first, have patience (it takes time to build trust in your community and grow your business) and give it all you've got then I have no doubt you'll achieve whatever you want to achieve (whether that's a side-hustle or a fully-fledged empire!).
Every community and every person is so different so, once again, it's completely up to you and your circumstances. A part of this course is getting clear on what success means for you so you can start to map this out for yourself. If you're after a 'get rich quick' scheme, this is not the course for you. And while we provide the training, templates and guidance, only you can do the work and apply it to your unique context. We of course cannot guarantee you make any money by enrolling in this course.
I'm a school teacher and want to run your programs in our classroom. Is this for me?
Potentially, and we've had heaps of teachers join us, but probably not. This is not a school-based curriculum where you purchase the program and deliver it word-for-word in your school. If that's what you're looking for, let us know. We've got something else for you. We've had quite a few school teachers enrol in this program anyway as they are passionate about creating their own programs to run on the side, want to get out of the education system and work on their own (or even want to create a program to run in their school). A couple of schools have even paid for the training for their teachers, especially wellbeing coordinators. If you'd like to chat with us further about this and whether this is right for you, or to organise an invoice to be sent to your finance department, please email youthmentors@shinefromwithin.com.au
How many hours do I need to devote to my studies?
Approximately 2 - 5 hours of study per week is required to watch all of the training videos, complete the readings and do the worksheets.
I'm really busy and am afraid I'll get behind in my studies. Should I wait and book in later?
You are welcome to complete the course at your own pace. You will of course get the most benefit out of the program by keeping up with the modules as best you can so that you can ask relevant questions and get extra support during the coaching calls as we're going along. You are not required to submit your workbooks or complete the assessment in each module unless you'd like to become certified (for more information on the certification process, please see below). There is also an 'implementation period' half way through the program to catch up and start to implement some of your learnings (and enjoy some time off). As you have access to this program for the lifetime of the course, we welcome you joining us to re-do the course every time it opens up for enrolments so if you get behind, we'll happily keep you accountable to go through it a second time or third time!
What kind of certification will I have at the end?
You'll receive a certificate of completion once the course is completed highlighting that you've graduated from the Youth Mentor Training (including 90+ hours of training). If you're a life coach, this certificate can be recognised by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as hours towards credential renewal in the area of Resource Development. You'll be able to say you've graduated from the Youth Mentor Training or that you're a 'youth mentor' or similar.
To become a Certified Shine From Within Youth Mentor, and be able to say that you're a Certified Shine From Within Youth Mentor, you'll need to:
- Pass the quizzes in each required module
- Submit your worksheets where requested
- Attend at least 2 live calls and/or your 1:1 coaching sessions
- Submit your working with children check or police background check (whatever is relevant in your country and state)
- Submit your risk management plan and code of conduct
- Create and deliver a 1hr workshop over Zoom in our Online Academy, with the support of our team (or provide evidence of equivalent)
- Have a 30 minute chat with our team
What are the benefits of becoming certified?
- You'll be listed in our new directory of Certified Youth Mentors
- You'll be eligible to run paid classes in our Online Academy
- You'll receive some Youth Mentor badge options to use in your marketing
- You'll be eligible to join our School Speaker platform (new in 2026).
If I select the certification option, do I have to do these final steps to become 'certified'?
No. You'll receive a certificate on completion at the end of the training that you'll be able to download as soon as you've completed everything. The assessment, workbooks, running a class in our Online Academy is all optional if you'd like to go the extra mile and be officially certified.
What are the in-person events and what if I can't attend them?
The in-person mastermind events and retreats that we occasional offer are optional, are open to all youth mentors (not just the current cohort) and are scheduled throughout the year. They are not specific to your cohort and are completely separate to the Youth Mentor Training.
Do the training days and retreats cost money to attend?
Yes, we charge for any in-person events so that we don't need to incorporate the cost of these days into the overall price of the training.
What if I've never run a business before? Will I be able to do it?
Absolutely. The course teaches you the business side of working with young people and will help you get set up. But you'll need to be willing to learn new things, ask Google for help, build your own website or outsource some parts of starting your business depending on your capacity. We provide guidance, best practice and suggestions but you'll still have to be the one to build it.
What if I've already got a business or business experience?
Great! You'll learn the specifics of what's required in a youth-focussed business to apply to your existing knowledge.
Can I get feedback on my ideas?
Absolutely! This is a high-touch experience so anytime you need extra help, want feedback on something or want to ask a question, you'll be able to do so on group calls, our 1:1 sessions, via email and via the community.
How long will it take to succeed and build a successful youth mentor business?
That's a great question and it's a 'how long is a piece of string' kind of question! What "success" means is different for everyone and we explore this in the training. The ones who grow their business to be their full-time income are driven, dedicated and are usually up-leveling their mindset along the way to be visible, market their programs and build connections in the community. But they all start with an idea and the sooner you begin, the sooner you can learn, test and grow. Realistically, you won't be making a full-time wage from this in the first 12 months - it takes time to build to that level with multiple offerings. Becoming a youth mentor is not a get-rich-quick thing! A larger majority of our graduates are building slowly while raising small children, doing this on the side or combining it with other offerings and the fulfilment they get from mentoring, along with the extra income, is absolutely their version of success in this season of their life!
Haven’t answered all of your questions or you just want to share your ideas and see if this is the right fit for you?
Please email us directly on youthmentors@shinefromwithin.com.au to ask your question or book a 30 minute free enquiry call with Amanda here.
The numbers…
According to responses of our feedback survey…
%
Clarity
98% of participants who completed the Youth Mentor Training now have more clarity about how they’d like to work with young people.
%
Tools
99% of participants who completed the Youth Mentor Training now feel they have the tools they need to run their own programs.
%
Capable
96% of participants who completed the Youth Mentor Training now feel more capable holding a space for young people.
A few of them doing their thing…
Talks and workshops, teen entrepreneur markets, teen retreats, circles, creative sessions, mindfulness in schools, 1:1 sessions – so many fun ways to work with young people! Here’s a tiny glimpse of what some of our youth mentors get up to (and what you could do too!). A little note here too in case seeing this feels like a lot: social media does NOT have to be part of your marketing strategy – some of our mentors don’t do anything online or even have a website! We go through lots of ways you can find and support the young people who need your magic. 🙂
Join Us!
WE START JULY 7!
Join this live cohort and you’ll also get:
– A Youth Mentor Website Template so you feel professional right from the start
– Post cohort group business coaching: 6 weeks of support to ensure you get your offering out into the world
Select your preferred payment option below and you’ll be taken to a booking form. All prices in Australian Dollars.
[+GST for Australian residents.]
Pay upfront
BEST VALUE- Approx US$2450
- GST will be added at checkout for Australian residents
- Pay upfront and we’ll post you out a copy of our new Shine Club Curriculum – 52 weeks of session plans in a beautifully bound folder. Expected Delivery: August. Worth $2000.
Pay monthly
6 month payment plan- Approx US$425 per month for 6 months
- Total amount AUD$3570, paid in 6 monthly instalments
- GST added at checkout for Australian residents
Extended monthly
12 month payment plan- Approx US$215 per month for 12 months
- Total amount AUD$3660, paid in 12 monthly instalments
- GST added at checkout for Australian residents
Once you enrol, you’ll receive a welcome email and invitation to book in your onboarding call with me (Amanda!) – can’t wait to meet you and support you over this next 6 months and beyond.
If you’re looking for scholarship or Pay What You Can options, please have a look at our FAQs at the bottom of the page.
And if you’ve still got questions, book in a 30 minute call with us today.
What if it’s not for me?
If you start the training and realise it’s not for you within the first two modules, you’ll be able to exit the training and receive a full refund, minus a $200 admin fee. After that, you’re all in! Full terms of enrolment are here.
**Note: every image on this page was taken at our courses and events, thanks to our photographers: Emma Newby, Kailani Tomkins, Bayleigh Vedalago, Chloe Horder and Moriah Overell. Except for images of all of our wonderful guest experts, mentors and team, which have been provided.
If you haven’t found an answer to your question in the FAQs above or on this page, please email us directly on youthmentors@shinefromwithin.com.au to ask your question or book a time to have a call with Amanda here.
We can’t wait for you to join us!
If you’re still not sure if this is for you, contact us below to share your ideas and queries or book a time to have a call with Amanda here.
We acknowledge and pay respects to the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we run our workshops and business.
Shine from Within welcomes students of all social, cultural, community and family backgrounds, and of all identities, and all abilities. Shine from Within is LGBTQIA+ friendly. Please get in touch if you have any questions or queries about this – info@shinefromwithin.com.au.
Shine From Within® and Shine On The Inside® are registered trademarks of Amanda Rootsey T/A Shine From Within ABN 79216354231
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