Are you a young Muslim in need of support?
Helping Hands
The Helping Hands program is a peer-led mental health support program for Muslim youth in Melbourne.
About Helping Hands
The Helping Hands program is a community-based, peer-led youth initiative facilitated by Six Degrees in Melbourne. Founded on three main objectives, we seek to:
 Normalise mental health conversations.
 Support Muslim youth to seek help where necessary.
 Improve access to mental health services for Muslim youth.Â
Helping Hands has been supporting Melbourne’s Muslim youth aged 18 to 24 since 2022. Read on to find out about:
The Helping Hands Program is delivered in multiple locations.
To connect Help Seekers with Help Givers, Helping Hands collaborates with mosques and Islamic societies across Melbourne, including:
What to expect
Arrival and Welcome: When you arrive, your Help Giver will greet you and introduce themselves.
Session Overview: The Help Giver will explain how the session will be structured and what to expect.
30-Minute Discussion: You will have 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to talk with the Help Giver about your concerns.
Guided Conversation: The Help Giver will facilitate the discussion, helping you explore your thoughts and feelings.
Referrals and Next Steps: If needed, the Help Giver will provide referrals for further mental health support.
Help Givers
Help Givers are dedicated and passionate young Muslim volunteers from the Melbourne community, offering mental health support to Muslim youth. They play a crucial role in fulfilling Six Degrees' mission to make mental health support accessible within the Muslim community.
All Help Givers receive comprehensive training and have access to a network of mental health professionals, ensuring they are well-equipped to provide compassionate and informed support.
What it's like to be a Help Giver
 Receive comprehensive training and access to a network of mental health professionals.
 Commit to the Helping Hands program for a minimum of 12 months.
 Volunteer flexible support hours each quarter, depending on community needs.
 Make a meaningful impact while gaining valuable experience in the mental health field.
Helping Hands Origins
Watch or listen to how Helping Hands started
The Helping Hands Program is based on the Friendship Bench project developed by psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda in Zimbabwe.
The Friendship Bench approach aims to improve mental well-being and overall quality of life through mental health sessions offered by trained community members to people in the community who are experiencing mental health hardship, such as anxiety or depression.
To learn more about the Friendship Bench, check out the following resources:
Volunteer With Helping Hands
Become a Help Giver
We offer young Muslims volunteering opportunities in Melbourne.
Â
The Helping Hands team within Six Degrees welcomes expressions of interest from potential new volunteer Help Givers. Help Givers have a central role in making Helping Hands a successful mental health support program for our Muslim youth.Â