Building Co-Design Capability at VicHealth
We collaborated with VicHealth to equip staff with the skills and confidence to meaningfully co-design public health solutions with young people.
Opportunity
The Victorian Government’s health promotion agency, VicHealth, sought to transform its approach to engaging young people by embedding co-design practices across the organisation. With Gen Z playing an increasing role in shaping public health outcomes, VicHealth aimed to equip its teams with the skills, methodologies, and confidence to co-design innovative solutions with young people, creating strategies that genuinely reflect the needs of diverse communities.
Challenge
1. Building internal co-design capabilities
VicHealth identified a gap in staff capability in effectively co-designing with young people. Staff required both theoretical understanding and practical tools to engage meaningfully and share decision-making power.
2. Navigating diverse needs and expectations
Young people bring unique lived experiences and perspectives, but aligning their contributions with organisational goals requires an inclusive and adaptable approach.
3. Sustaining co-design as a practice
The organisation faced the challenge of integrating co-design into its long-term strategies, ensuring it became a core organisational competency rather than a one-off initiative.
Approach
We delivered a series of five tailored workshops from November 2023 to February 2024, designed to build VicHealth staff capability and confidence to apply co-design in real-world contexts. The program combined practical tools, hands-on activities and reflective practice, supporting staff to move beyond theory and actively test co-design approaches with young people.
Admiring the problem: Identifying challenges and their root causes.
Building solutions: Generating creative, actionable ideas.
Scaling for impact: Refining prototypes and preparing for implementation.
These sessions were hybrid, combining in-person and online participation to maximise accessibility and ensure flexibility for VicHealth staff
“The co-design training has been transformative for VicHealth. Our teams now have the tools and confidence to genuinely engage with young people and embed their insights into our work.”
Project Outcomes
The training strengthened VicHealth’s ability to engage young people as active partners in health promotion, while embedding co-design as a practical, repeatable approach across the organisation. The outcomes reflect both immediate capability uplift and longer-term cultural change and included the following:
Enhanced staff capability
Over 25 VicHealth staff were trained in co-design practices, increasing their confidence and competence to engage with young people effectively.
Youth-driven insights
The training enabled young people to contribute actionable ideas that directly influenced VicHealth’s health strategies.
Scalable prototypes
Staff and young participants co-designed practical solutions, such as a vaping education resource and community health initiatives.
Cultural change
Co-design practices are now embedded within VicHealth, reinforcing the importance of shared decision-making and collaboration.
“I never thought I’d get the chance to shape public health policy. It’s empowering to know I’ve helped create solutions that matter.”
