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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!

Join the waitlist!

We’re currently at capacity with our lovely group of teens. Doors will reopen for new members towards the end of 2023.

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.

Join the waitlist!

We’re currently at capacity with our lovely group of teens. Doors will reopen for new members towards the end of 2023.

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!

Join the waitlist!

We’re currently at capacity with our lovely group of teens. Doors will reopen for new members towards the end of 2023.

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.

Ruby, 17 (member) - Australia

“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!”

Beth, 15 (O-Week 2020 participant) - New Zealand

“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.

K, 19 (member) - Australia

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.

My heartfelt thanks again Amanda.”
Marianne (parent) - Australia

“Your program is so vital and necessary in these challenging times and I can directly credit you for keeping my girls motivated, disciplined and engaged.
Thank you from the depth of my heart. Deep gratitude!”
Sonja (parent of 16yr old and 18yr old) - Australia

“Thank you for creating such a beautiful space for these special beings. My son joined a check-in call this weekend and he really enjoyed it and will be attending regularly. He said it was ‘quiet,’ in a good way – I know the softer vibe is super soothing for him.”
Orianna (parent of 12yr old) - USA

“She was excited to attend, spoke about everything that had happened, took an interest in her peers that were present and is a happier, more present person.”
Aakifah (parent of 14yr old) - South Africa

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!

Join the waitlist!

We’re currently at capacity with our lovely group of teens. Doors will reopen for new members towards the end of 2023.

A peek 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.

 

Amanda Rootsey

Amanda Rootsey is the Founder of Shine From Within and the Online Academy. She’s also the author of ‘Shine From Within; a teen girl’s guide to life’ (out worldwide with Hay House), creator and lead trainer of the award-winning Youth Mentor Training and host of The Youth Mentor Podcast.

She has supported thousands of youth since launching Shine From Within in 2012 and has trained hundreds of youth mentors around the world to support teens in their own communities.

Amanda loves hanging out on every single call in the Online Academy (like seriously – every check-in, every co-study, every live class with other facilitators – Mandy is there, usually in her Oodie 😅).

QLD, AUSTRALIA

Tom Molloy

Tom Molloy is an expert in fitness, breath and recovery. Over the last decade he has coached high performing professional teams and individuals in sport and business with one goal in mind: Making an impact. Through this journey he learned how to successfully manage his own health challenges with chronic knee and hip osteoarthritis so he can lead a healthy and active life.

Now Tom has the privilege of sharing his knowledge and experience with others looking to help improve their own performance & health.

Tom has a great passion for helping others live a happy, healthy life, and runs movement and breathwork classes in the Online Academy. 

QLD, AUSTRALIA

Madhumalika Bharani

Madhu is an 18 year old aspiring Journalist. She loves to read, write, sing, dance, ask a lot of questions about a lot of things and learning new things and facts about the world, the people, the various different cultures and more! 

She is a certified youth mentor and has run classes including bollywood dance, learning American Sign Language, how to solve a rubiks cube and more! 

INDIA

Eddie Tyquin

Eddie is a primary school teacher, holistic life coach and a trained youth mentor. She’s also one of the most colourful people we know!

She is passionate about helping others get the most out of their life by integrating positive and motivating habits.

Eddie has a core focus on neuroscience and how we can use our brain architecture to our advantage to achieve the results we want!

Self-worth, wellness, motivation, quality presentation and professionalism are the core values behind her facilitation style and her business, Looking for Ladybird.

QLD, AUSTRALIA

Paige Tan

Paige is a meditation and mindfulness coach and youth mentor, with 8 years of high school teaching experience. She is passionate about all things wellbeing, and is on a mission to empower and inspire young girls to live a more mindful and purposeful life, and to live in The Eudaimonia Way.

Through her work as a high school teacher, what has brought her the most joy was seeing her students flourish and thrive when they learned the importance of listening to and respecting themselves. Paige offers 1-1 mentoring support for teens and tweens, as well as meditation and mindfulness coaching programs to teach young girls all about the benefits of slowing down and being in the present moment.

VIC, AUSTRALIA

Tanya Meessmann

Tanya Messmmann is the founder of Girl Shaped Flames, CEO of not-for-profit Uniq You, a youth mentor and speaker.

Tanya has worked with over 3000 teenage girls, their parents and educators to develop their confidence, resilience and self-belief. Through this work she’s been recognised as a thought-leader in the confidence space and is often found working with full school cohorts and speaking at corporate events on the life-changing effect confidence has on girls.

Tanya has taught lots of classes in the OA, including networking, stretching your line of perceived ability, 15 steps to confidence and more.

QLD, AUSTRALIA

Ishara Sahama

Ishara Sahama is a passionate social and gender justice advocate, community organizer and education facilitator. She currently works in the NFP/social enterprise space, providing strategic thinking, community organising, project management and advisory support.

Ishara is also a Climate Reality Leader and community organizer for UNAA Young Professionals Queensland and The One Women Project. She has presented and organized several presentations, panel discussions, forums on topics such as the climate crisis, sustainable development goals (SDGs), youth engagement, anti-racism, gender equity in urban planning and environmental concerns and, intersectional justice.

She graduated at the end of 2019 with a BA Honours Geography and BSc Geographical Sciences, from The University of Queensland.

Ishara is a Womxn of Colour, with mixed Sri Lankan cultural heritage.
Pronouns: She/her

Mazoon Al Zadjali

Mazoon Al Zadjali is a certified youth mentor, a youth advocate & a Peer Educator. She took her first Peer Education training certification at age of 15 to officially become one of the first young Omanis to have obtained a certification in this field by Youth Peer Education Network (Y-peer).

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.

Mazoon thrives to change every young person to become empowered and works for a better future as she believes youth are the vision and mission of now and the future.

OMAN

Jess Holsman

Jessica Holsman is an Australian YouTube creator and social influencer, entrepreneur, and best selling author.

After graduating with a postgraduate diploma of psychology, Jess began helping young teens and adults by harnessing the power of social media. Her passion for empowering students to succeed in school, celebrate their unique qualities and pursue a meaningful and purposeful life has led her to become the voice of many teens and young adults online.

With over 25 million views on her YouTube channel ‘Study With Jess’, Jess continues to shed light on the important issues effecting many students and young adults today and offers her ongoing support in helping them increase their motivation and productivity, boost their mental health and step into their power to celebrate their unique qualities.

She is the founder of the educational stationery line for students; Educationery, as well as Self Love Club Gift Boxes; a brand promoting self love and wellness.

VIC, AUSTRALIA

Jana Amin

Jana Amin is an Egyptian-American first-year at Harvard College. An advocate and community mobilizer for girls’ education and women in Islam, Jana has given two TedTalks to date, both inspired by her personal experiences. She has spoken at the United Nations on policies to further youth inclusion and gender parity. She works closely with The Collateral Repair Project, a Jordanian NGO to support refugee women & girls.

At Harvard, Jana is a member of the Kennedy School’s Women’s Initiative in Leadership and Coalition for Global Affairs. She is a mentor at the Radcliffe Institute and a first-year representative for the Society of Arab Students.

Jana has hosted a number of classes in the OA and we look forward to more with her! 

USA

Samantha Thomas

Sam Thomas is a certified youth mentor and Life Coach. She has also studied Positive Psychology online through the University of North Carolina, has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Technology, Sydney and is a Shine From Within Youth Mentor.

Sam graduated as a life coach in 2014 and she’s spent the last 4.5years as the in-house life coach for Asia’s number one wellness retreat, Phuket Cleanse. During her time in Phuket, Sam facilitated more than 400 workshops on a wide range of topics related to holistic wellbeing and travelled internationally to deliver these workshops in Paris, London, Portland, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Sam’s favourite topic to teach people about is self-love, as she believes the relationship you have with yourself impacts all of your choices and behaviours and if you can make this the kindest relationship of your life, then your whole world can positively transform.

Currently in INDIA

Sarah Found

Sarah Found is a youth mentor, marketing and communications director in the high-tech industry, storyteller and Positive Psychology Practitioner. Inspired by challenges faced in her own youth, Sarah felt pulled to positive psychology and helping girls not just overcome challenges, but in time thrive and flourish because of them.

Through All Girls Can Fly for younger girls and the teen inspired program, Girl inPowered, Sarah focuses on fun and creative ways to connect girls to themselves and each other through positive psychology tools and the power of storytelling. It’s Sarah’s mission to help girls see themselves in a new light and that everything they need to get through challenge and change is already inside of them.

Located in St John’s, Canada.

Isaias Hernandez

Isaias Hernandez is an Environmental Educator and creator of @QueerBrownVegan where he creates introductory forms of environmentalism through colorful graphics, illustrations, and videos.

He seeks to provide a safe space for like-minded environmentalists to advance the discourse around the climate crisis.

Isaias hosted a class on an intersectional approach to veganism in the OA. 

USA

Adefolashade Fadeyi

Adefolashade Fadeyi is a personal development expert for teens and the founder of Brighter Girls, Lagos Nigeria. She is a Certified Girl Empowerment Coach, Trained Youth Mentor and a Curriculum Developer with over 15 years of experience working with teen girls.

Fola brings her enthusiasm and wisdom to some of our coaching calls in the Youth Mentor Training as a support trainer and facilitates a number of classes in our Online Academy. 

NIGERIA

Our Partner Organisations

Some of the organisations and facilitators we partner with to deliver the classes: 

 

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

All for 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. If we’re between intakes, then please add yourself to the waiting list. 

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?

If we’re open for new members, then 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. If you’re joining the waitlist, we’ll let you know when we’re starting to get ready to open the doors again so you’ll have plenty of notice to join us.

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