Sign your teen up for our global community!
The Online Academy is a youth-led, nurturing virtual monthly membership for teens to connect, learn, make things and hang out, all from the comfort of their own spaces. We’ve got the loveliest group of young people, all genders and abilities, mostly from around Australia but some international folks too. Join and get instant access to 150+ class recordings across wellness, creativity, activism, productivity and more!
Sign your teen up for our global community!
The Online Academy is a youth-led, nurturing virtual space for your teen to broaden their interests, expand their community, develop life and self-leadership skills and grow into who they want to be.
Parents, would you love:
a global, yet small and connected, community of teens and youth mentors where your child is heard, seen and validated?
Where they can grow, develop life skills and confidence, and be appreciated for all that they are, exactly as they are?
Where they can participate in whatever way they feel like day-to-day, from the comfort of home and yet still expand their horizons and community?
We’d LOVE to meet them!
What they say:
“[The Online Academy classes] have helped me understand myself and taught me tools to help me with all things in life; whether that be friendships, confidence, school, or anxiety. As well as this the weekly sessions are not just helping me set up for the week, but they’re also having positive benefits on my mental health, giving me a sense of clarity and helping me reset and start each week with a sense of tranquility and focus.
“I just wanted to say how awesome these workshops are! They are really awesome and I am so glad I am able to join them. All the topics are helpful! Thanks for doing them!”
“I’m just really grateful that the space exists, and that the space is geared to focus on the positive achievements of the students, as well as being so encouraging and supportive…I have more days to look forward to in the week now, more days where my ability to connect with other people isn’t always determined by how anxious I am.
I like that no one cares if my camera is on or off, or if I’m switching between both. And I like that my typing over Zoom is seen as valid as verbally speaking, that no one has questioned it as less.
I feel very validated in the Online Academy.“
“We didn’t know what to expect but the program is so full of absolute gold. [My daughter] is generally very quiet and I know she was very hesitant at first joining the calls and keeping her camera off. That all changed very quickly and she felt so included and accepted.
I’m so full of praise for the shine academy and every young person would benefit from it – I really believe that. Such an incredible group of young people.
The trust circle is a big hit too. I think it’s added an opportunity to go a little deeper and connect in a new way.
Who it’s for:
Ages 12 - 19
All genders
Anywhere in the world
All abilities
We asked the teens who are already members in our Online Academy to anonymously answer how they identify – this is what they said:
We asked the teens who are already members in our Online Academy to anonymously answer how they identify – this is what they said:
What you get:
Community
Connect with other teens on our weekly check-in Zoom calls at 9am or 5:30pm AEST every Sunday to reflect and map out the week ahead.
Accountability
Want some extra accountability to get your homework done? Join us on Monday afternoons for co-study sessions and Thursdays for Co-art sessions.
Up-skill + Learn
Join us for new live classes each month across our themes of life skills, movement, wellbeing, study skills, activism and creativity AND check out the vault for 150+ on-demand classes (a sample below).
Global Experts
Learn from, and network with, global experts. Go from bullet journaling with Cassandra Le in Madrid (pictured), to a self-defense class with Leslie Lew in LA, to job interview skills with Nicole in London.
Show up as YOU
Show up however you like – camera on or off, this is a nurturing space for you learn something, connect and hang out. A cat always seems to make an appearance!
A peak inside the Online Academy:
A sample of the classes:
5 Steps to Become a Better Speaker
Learn how to be a better speaker from 17yr old Egyptian-American activist and speaker, Jana Amin.
Goal Setting with Eddie!
Learn how to set goals in a more relatable, casual and sustainable way with Eddie Tyquin.
Activism, Advocacy + Purpose
Discover the difference between activism and advocacy and find your own path to making a difference in the world with Ishara Sahama.
Productivity + Wellbeing
Learn tips for wellbeing, productivity and studying (lots of great questions here about getting organised, exam prep, etc!) with Youtuber, Study with Jess.
Breathing for Wellbeing and Peak Performance
Oxygenate the major systems of the body, calm the mind and learn the basic principles of ‘functional breathing’ with Tom Molloy.
Mindful Cooking
Join Mazoon Al Zadjali to learn how to enjoy the process of cooking, mindfully preparing a nourishing meal together.
Veganism 101
Isaias Hernandez (@queerbrownvegan) shares an intersectional approach to veganism that advocates for humans and non-human animals.
Teen Skincare
Learn about how to take care of your skin, including a live demonstration, with Kristine Ross, the founder of Stronger by Believe.
How to be a Teen CEO
Join this class as Shaiann Hogan talks about being a teen CEO in her business, Shai’s World, which she started when she was 13 years old!
Moon Rituals
No matter where in the world you live, the moon is a constant and ever-changing focus point of our night sky. Join Bec Coldicutt to learn about the phases of the moon and how you can track this beautiful rhythm with your own rituals.
3 Steps to Finding Your Passion
Jay Blackamore, Founder of Riff Raff Life Coaching takes us through a process to get any confusion organised and learn a strategy to find your passion. This was a GREAT, practical class.
Miracle Morning
Have a miracle morning with this step-by-step guide to a nourishing morning routine. You might like to put this one every single day!
Meet the Team
The Online Academy is powered by Shine From Within, who have been supporting teens and the adults around them on the Sunshine Coast QLD Australia since 2012.
The facilitators and mentors on all live classes have:
- gone through a rigorous application process
- have completed 60+ hours of our award-winning Youth Mentor Training in addition to the many skills and expertise they already have in their chosen fields
- have their own thriving businesses and communities in their parts of the world and
- must adhere to a strict code of conduct when facilitating classes for the Online Academy (we’re very protective of our teens and we only invite facilitators who are equally as dedicated to holding a nurturing, fun and inclusive space).
As well as our certified youth mentors, we invite special guests along and co-facilitate with them so that we’re always sharing new perspectives and learnings with the Online Academy members.
The future and direction of the Online Academy is in the hands of the teens, with a Youth Advisory Board meeting monthly.
Our Partner Organisations
Some of the organisations and facilitators we partner with to deliver the classes:
What happens next?
1. Follow the button to Sign yourself and your child up.
2. You’ll both receive a welcome email and login details to our portal.
3. Login and check out the calendar of upcoming events together and encourage your child to RSVP for the ones they want to attend.
4. Visit the ‘vault’ to watch recordings of previous classes across our themes of wellness, creativity, life skills, movement and activism.
5. Every Sunday, before our weekly check-ins, you and your child will both receive an email with upcoming classes and important information.
6. You’ll be charged AUD$35 per month (+GST for Australian residents). You can cancel anytime – there’s a link in the portal.
We know that:
⚡️ It can be hard to find ‘your people’ as a teenager.
⚡️ It’s hard to find consistent mentors and trusted spaces for teens to express their thoughts, build confidence, encourage curiosity, expand awareness and develop their values, opinions, strengths and life skills OUTSIDE of family and school. A ‘third space’ and additional community of young people who have your back.
And a young person can never have too much support. That’s why we created the Online Academy – A virtual community with weekly connection and accountability as well as a huge range of empowering life skills classes from global experts.
Teens are struggling
Research tells us that teens are more anxious, depressed, fatigued and distressed than prior to the pandemic.
They need community
“It’s clear the environment significantly influences mental health, and that means we need community connectedness and support for young people…” Karen Price, president of Royal Australasian College of General Practitioner
Mentoring is preventative
Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking. (Public/Private Ventures study of Big Brothers Big Sisters)
We believe in a preventative, non-clinical, nurturing approach where we get to build relationships with the members over time and, most importantly, they get to build relationships with each other.
FAQs
When you register you get:
- New live classes each month on Zoom (creativity, productivity, activism, wellness, oh my!)
- Facilitated by global experts (go from Stretching for Self-Compassion with Sarah in Canada one week to Combat Study Stress with Belinda in Australia the next!)
- Weekly Sunday check-in group calls + challenges to set yourself up for the week ahead (yay community!). These occur at 10am & 6:30pm AEST
- Instant access to the vault of ON-DEMAND classes (hours and hours of inspo + tools)
- All housed in our private online member’s portal
Get started today for just AUD$35 (+GST for Aussie residents) a month! Cancel anytime.
How do I register?
Follow any of the booking links/buttons on this page and register yourself (as the parent) on the first page, and then your child’s details on the second page. You’ll then receive your login details (you share login details) and will start to receive weekly emails letting you know what’s coming up.
What is O-Week or the RISE program?
You may have heard of our O-Week or our RISE holiday program and are wondering what they are. They are a week of holiday classes that we host annually. Many of our members get started with us during one of these programs and then continue on to become regular members because they loved the different classes and the community. We don’t have any future dates planned at this stage and encourage you to sign up for a regular membership, jump into the VAULT and watch any of the class replays (there are 150+ of them now) and be brave and join us live on a co-art session, co-study session or weekly check-in to say ‘hi’ and meet the community. 🙂
Is this a safe and inclusive space for me (or my children)?
Shine from Within and the Online Academy welcome students of all social, cultural, community and family backgrounds, and of all identities, and all abilities. We are also neuro-affirming and ensure that our members can show up however they feel that day. Shine from Within is LGBTQIA+ friendly and all genders are welcome to all classes. We are always learning and up-skilling as facilitators and we value a variety of perspectives in the Online Academy, from students and facilitators. You can read more about our commitment to youth, social issues, the environment, and get a better understanding of our values as a business here.
In terms of privacy and cyber safety, we have clear guidelines and measures in place to ensure that members privacy is protected and that any opportunity for harm is minimised; e.g. members on live calls cannot message each other privately, that they are aware they can choose to have their videos on or off, that they can rename themselves to just have their first name rather than full name showing, etc. If you’d like a copy of our Code of Conduct for the Online Academy, please email us info@shinefromwithin.com.au (being an online space that uses outsourced software such as Zoom for the classes, this document is fluid and being updated almost weekly). You can also view our Privacy Policy here.
We used to say that this was a 100% safe space but have learned recently through social justice and inclusivity training that it’s irresponsible and impossible to promise this. We can’t know what might trigger someone and we can’t control what other members say in this space. But I can promise you that we do absolutely everything in our power to ensure that we’re minimising any opportunity for harm and have not had an incident so far. We have detailed protocols, as mentioned above, to ensure that members can build rapport and feel comfortable sharing what they need to share and that if they share something that suggests they might harm themselves or others then, as is required by law, we get in touch with the parents, or relevant authorities, immediately (this is why we request detailed parent contact details).
Can parents or other adults join the classes?
Parents are welcome to login with their child’s membership and adults, such as teachers, are also welcome to sign up. We prefer to keep the live classes feeling like parent-free zones so the young people feel more comfortable having open and honest conversations (if they choose to participate – they’re welcome just to attend and watch with their video off). So, adults are strongly encouraged to watch the recordings instead of attending live. However if you wish to attend with your child, we just ask that they don’t hijack the conversation and keep the focus on this being an empowering space for youth. For our weekly sessions such as co-study, co-art and the weekly check-ins we do like to keep these as adult-free zones, other than the facilitator, as we build report with the students over time and if a new adult pops in every now and then it’s hard for the members to trust them and open up in the same way.
Who are the facilitators and how are they qualified?
The facilitators and support personnel on all live classes have gone through a rigorous application process, training and continued support and up-skilling. They have completed 4 months and 60+ hours of our award-winning Youth Mentor Training in addition to the many skills and expertise they already have in their chosen fields. The Youth Mentor Training covers duty of care, understanding teen psychology, engagement in a fun, nurturing and supportive way, being aware of what to look out for with more serious issues and more.
Our facilitators must also have a current working with children check (or equivalent for their country and state), must have completed a number of implicit bias tests to ensure they are inclusive and self-aware and must abide by our Code of Conduct to ensure the safety and enjoyment of each of our students.
Our facilitators come from all over the world including Nigeria, New Zealand, Australia, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman and the UK and represent a variety of cultural and social identities.
In addition to our trained youth mentors, we do sometimes invite special guests to host a class. In this instance, they will be accompanied by our trained youth mentors.
When do we start?
As soon as you register! When you join, you’ll receive an email welcoming you to the community and with further instructions on how to join our next classes and sessions.
Who created your beautiful branding?
Oh thanks for noticing! A beautiful, talented, young First Nations designer from Newcastle, Jasmine Craciun. Check her work out here. Awesome, huh?!
How can I support your work?
Aren’t you sweet?! We have just started a Patreon account so you can register and pay for a teen to access the Online Academy. We have teens joining us from all corners of the globe during our free O-Week classes and our Patrons allow us to provide access to the Online Academy year-round for these students. Learn more here.
More questions?
Use the ‘contact us’ bubble to get in touch or email info@shinefromwithin.com.au
Get In Touch with Us
The Online Academy is brought to you by Shine From Within – a teen academy established in 2012 in Queensland Australia.
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 and all genders are welcome to all classes. Please get in touch if you have any questions or queries about this.
Shine From Within® is a registered trademark of ABN 79216354231
Support
