Corporate Sponsorship

Finding corporates who align their values with yours is a challenge every not-for-profit faces. It’s even harder when you’re a small fish in a very big pond. When reaching out to corporates we are surprised with the level of assumptions made about deaf or hard of hearing people.

If you’re not deaf or hard of hearing, you really can’t understand what it’s like to live in a hearing world. It’s not uncommon for us to hear objections like:

  • You guys have hearing aids and implants available – you don’t need us!
  • If they’ve made it through primary school surely they’ll be right for high school!
  • Surely deaf teens simply have teen problems so they should be able to thrash their issues out with their friends!

Whereas the underlying objections are really more aligned around:

  • Not being able to relate to hearing loss issues
  • Giving to other charities and perhaps not seeing the difference they made
  • The money donated being used for staff wages and not going to the kids
  • Being small, and relatively unknown. ie I’ve never heard of you, you mustn’t be very good.

What keeps us going is our purpose; we are founded by deaf people, and run by deaf people, for deaf teenagers.

We know first-hand the challenges that deaf or hard of hearing teens face as they navigate to adulthood. We know first-hand how valuable it is to have support during this time. And through our programs we know that we can help teens by:

  • allowing personal experiences to be shared amongst people who ‘get it’
  • sharing our own experiences and insights,
  • reassuring them when they doubt themselves,
  • equipping them with skills and strategies to deal with challenges
  • encouraging them and providing community support.

Here are some comments we hear frequently before teens attend our workshops:

  • I wish my friends would look at me when they speak
  • Strangers think that because I’m deaf I must also be dumb
  • I want to be able to ask people to slow down when they speak to me
  • I smile and nod, but I feel left out when I can’t follow the conversation
  • My family try to understand and accept me, but it’s harder when I’m at school.

Yet, after participating in workshops we hear more of this:

  • I’ve started becoming my own advocate
  • I’m more confident with social interactions at school
  • I feel very supported and the empathy and guidance I get from the mentors has been absolutely life changing for me
  • Despite my tiring efforts to hear and speak well, throughout most of my schooling I felt isolated and alone as a hard of hearing person. Being able to socialise with other deaf people really gave me confidence.

We know that what we do makes a difference to people’s lives

Do you want to help us make a difference?

How Corporate Donations Will Make a Big Difference To Deaf Teens

Your donation will go towards the administration and running of our many programs, Australia-wide.

Here are some of the programs we offer:

Life Goals & Skills

(4-day and 2-day workshops)

Our flagship mentoring program, which focuses on bringing together deaf and hard of hearing teenagers with inspiring mentors. Through group, peer and one-on-one mentoring, we explore a whole range of topics, from communication & conflict resolution, to school and school subject choices and social media.

Primary 2 Secondary 

A unique two-part program that helps kids who are deaf or hard of hearing to make the transition from Year 6 to high school. We cover a range of things, from making new friends to dealing with bullying and simply finding your way round.

Rock my World

(1-2 Day Workshops)

These one-off workshops all focus on a different thing – from film-making to treetop adventures. The common theme? Fun! As well as taking part in interesting activities, participants also hear from a guest presenter and connect with mentors as part of the experience.

Filmmaking and Editing Workshops

(including Hear For You Film Festival)

2018 saw our first Hear For You Film Festival open to deaf and hard of hearing teenagers all over Australia. Whether participants are a pro filmmaker or one who is just keen to get started, all are welcome to enter the competition!

Community Outreach

(1-2 Days)

At Hear For You we love sharing our knowledge and insights with the broader community, so we run Community Outreach sessions with workplaces and community groups.

Mentor Training Conference

We offer an annual training conference for up-and-coming mentors to receive training and support to improve their personal and mentoring skills.

You can become the driving force behind our passion in transforming our deaf and hard of hearing teenagers into becoming extraordinary Australians

How To Donate

Donations can be in the form of:

  • Financial assistance
  • Services, time or product offers.

We understand that not all companies can help financially, so we greatly appreciate offers to donate skills and time to help us achieve our goal.

For more information about how to get involved and support Hear For You, you can:

Alternatively, you can donate directly here.