Founded to connect young people and teenagers who are deaf or who have hearing loss through peer mentoring and leadership programs, the organisation creates opportunities for young people to build friendships, develop confidence and learn from mentors who have walked similar paths themselves.

One in Five spoke with National Manager John Lui, who is himself deaf, uses a cochlear implant and has spent years supporting young Australians to discover that being deaf is only one part of who they are.

Hear For You was founded on the idea that no young person should feel alone in their hearing journey. Why is peer connection so important for teenagers who are deaf or who have hearing loss, particularly during the high school years?

There are many young people who come from families with no history of hearing loss, and they often are the only ones who is deaf in their schools or even sometimes, in their town in regional areas. They are at a higher risk of mental health issues and social isolation. They must contend with all the usual trials and tribulations of the teenage years, and these experiences are magnified by being deaf. Yes, they will usually have friends who have typical hearing, but there’s nothing like having a community of their own.

There’s nothing like having a community of their own.
— John Lui, National Manager, Hear For You

You often speak about your own experiences growing up profoundly deaf and using a cochlear implant. Looking back, what do you wish your teenage self had known that you now try to pass on to young people through Hear For You?

Take the time to understand yourself and to become self-aware. It’s ok to speak up about what you need. There are others like you, and they know what you’re going through. On the flip side, try to understand that everyone has their own invisible issues that they’re dealing with. Not everything that happens to you is because you’re deaf. Sometimes you’re not succeeding because of your mindset.

Hear For You’s mentors come from a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences. What happens when a young person meets someone who has walked a similar path and can genuinely say, “I’ve been there”?

It creates an understanding that we know on some level what you’re feeling when it comes to living experiences of being deaf. We understand the frustrations and the struggles, and this gives empowerment to the youth to be ok with who they are.

Deaf identity can look very different from one person to the next. How does Hear For You create a space where young people feel comfortable exploring who they are, regardless of their communication choices, devices or cultural identity?

Anyone who is deaf, regardless of their level of hearing loss, or what devices they use, (if any), and communication choices, are most welcome to join us. We provide live captioning and book interpreters upon request. The key factor is that everyone in the room is deaf, from the youth to the mentors and staff members. We are mindful that people’s life and deaf identity journeys can be different and we leave space for that. We can’t assume that what we did will work exactly for them, but we can help with the exploration of what it means to be deaf.

You’ve seen many young people come through the program over the years. Is there a story or moment that captures the difference mentoring can make in a young person’s confidence, aspirations or sense of belonging?

Often, it’s not one singular moment that I see, it’s an accumulation of changes over time that we notice. In our mentoring program, I see teens coming out of their shell, interacting more with their peers and mentors; they feel more comfortable asking more questions and contributing more. Their parents may say they’re engaging more around the dinner table, advocating themselves more at school, more confident around their deafness. Some parents are saying that their teens are getting up bright and early because they’re keen to get to the program session. The best part is when the teens come back years later, asking them to become mentors themselves.