Ask ReachOut: creating clearer pathways to support for young people

Ask ReachOut: creating clearer pathways to support for young people

When a young person decides to seek help, that moment matters. But too often, navigating the mental health system can feel overwhelming. Knowing where to start, which service is right, and what to expect can create barriers that prevent young people from accessing the support they need.

At Telstra Foundation, we’re interested in the opportunities that emerge when technology, collaboration and lived experience come together to solve complex social challenges.

That’s why we’re proud to support Ask ReachOut an initiative from ReachOut that combines the safe and ethical use of AI with an innovative model of sector collaboration. Together, these elements are helping create clearer pathways to support for young people while strengthening connections across Australia’s mental health ecosystem.

Reimagining the first step

Ask ReachOut gives young people access to trusted, evidence-informed guidance through a conversational experience powered by AI. Young people can ask questions in their own words and receive information drawn from ReachOut’s extensive library of 600 evidence-informed resources. Designed according to Safety by Design principles, the platform includes safety guardrails and a Care Layer that helps connect young people with additional support when required.

The technology itself is significant.

It demonstrates how AI can be used responsibly to make trusted information more accessible, reduce confusion, and help young people understand their options during moments when they may be feeling uncertain about where to turn.

But perhaps even more significant is what sits behind the technology.

Bringing the ecosystem together

For the first time, ReachOut has brought together a network of trusted mental health and wellbeing providers into a more connected support pathway for young people.

Through Ask ReachOut, young people can be guided towards services that best match their needs, including organisations such as Orygen Digital’s MOST,      Kids Helpline, eheadspace, 1800RESPECT, MindSpot, QLife, Butterfly Foundation, My Mirror and others.

This may seem simple, but it represents an important shift.

Historically, young people have often been expected to navigate a complex network of services themselves. Ask ReachOut helps turn that experience into a more guided journey, providing clearer information, personalised recommendations and practical next steps.

Instead of asking young people to navigate the system, the system is beginning to work harder for young people.

Building a stronger future together

At Telstra Foundation, we talk often about systems change.

Systems change isn’t just about creating new products or programs. It’s about improving how people experience an entire system. It’s about strengthening connections, removing barriers and helping organisations work together in ways that create better outcomes.

That’s what makes Ask ReachOut particularly exciting.

What the ReachOut and Telstra Foundation partnership unlocks is more than a digital product. It is a new connective layer within Australia’s youth mental health ecosystem, helping bridge the gap between support services and the young people who need them. 

We’re proud to support ReachOut’s leadership in this space, alongside partners including Orygen Digital, who share a commitment to improving outcomes for young people through innovation, collaboration and evidence-based support.

Through responsible technology and deep cross-sector collaboration, Ask ReachOut is helping create a more coordinated, youth-centred experience of support. It shows what becomes possible when organisations come together around a shared goal: ensuring young people can access the right support at the right time.