Meet Jasmine: backing yourself, finding your people, and turning passion into a pathway

Jasmine Watson is a facilitator at the Australian School of Entrepreneurship (ASE), where she connects, empowers and inspires participants through interactive learning, community engagement and personal development activities that foster leadership and growth.

CoAct was thrilled to have Jasmine attend our inaugural Youth Forum recently as a CoAct Youth Ambassador. At the forum, she joined our panel discussion and collaborative design work that followed.

A big part of what Jasmine brought to the forum was her lived experience as a young person navigating the early years of work, and her insights on the misconceptions young people can face when trying to access services and support.

We sat down with Jasmine at the forum to hear more about her journey and her advice for young people, employers, and adults who want to understand young people better.

My journey started with wanting to find a better way

When asked about her pathway into work and education, Jasmine shared that things weren’t always easy.

She grew up struggling with her mental health from a young age. Between around 11 and 14, she wasn’t feeling excited about life and knew she needed to find a better way forward.

That search led her to try different things. She explored entrepreneurship, writing, and content creation. She started writing articles when she was about 14 or 15, and kept building from there.
Over time, she found something that really clicked: events.

I really found my way into events and I love to run events,” she said.

Jasmine has run workshops and networking events, and she’s also been involved in creative activities like flash mobs. For her, events became a way to connect with people, build confidence, and create something real.

The support that mattered most: learning to back yourself

We asked Jasmine if there was a moment when support really shaped her pathway.

Her answer was clear: the biggest support was learning to back herself.

For Jasmine, that support didn’t come from one single program or one big “break”. It came from building herself up over time.

She started by attending events before she ran them. She went along to sessions on speaking and sales. She also read personal development books.

Step by step, these experiences helped her feel stronger and more capable.

It’s a reminder that support can look like many things. Sometimes it is a service. Sometimes it is a moment of learning. Sometimes it is just being in a room where you feel like you belong.

What adults and employers can get wrong about young people

Jasmine’s advice for adults and decision makers starts with one important idea: young people’s lives are complex.

A lot of the issues and struggles that young people go through are very complex,” she said.

She encouraged adults to look at each young person through a unique lens. Not every young person will fit into someone else’s idea of what they “should” be like or how their life “should” have gone so far.

She also shared a point that came up strongly at the Youth Forum: things have changed a lot.

If you’re older, your experience of growing up may be very different to what young people face now. Jasmine named things like social media, AI, and new pressures that are part of everyday life for young people today.

For employers, this matters. Understanding young people today means staying curious, listening properly, and not assuming the past is the same as the present.

Supporting young people into work: value more than paid jobs

When we asked Jasmine what she would change about how young people are supported into employment, she pointed to something many young people need to hear more often:
Experience doesn’t only come from a job.

Jasmine explained that skills can come from many areas, including:

• extracurricular activities
• hobbies and interests
• projects you do on your own
• community activities and volunteering
• things you create outside of school or work.

These things build real skills that can transfer into the workplace.

Her message was also about confidence. Young people need support to see that what they do outside formal work still counts, and can be part of a strong pathway.

What stood out at the CoAct Youth Forum

Jasmine shared that she appreciated how open the forum felt.

She liked the way the day made space for brainstorming across different people and perspectives. For her, that kind of open conversation can help break down barriers.
She also spoke about the value of “reality checking” assumptions.

That means looking at what we think is true about young people and employment, and checking it against what is actually happening right now.

One action for organisations: lead with empathy

At the end of the interview, we asked Jasmine what one action organisations should take after the forum.

Her answer was simple and strong:
Have empathy for young people.

She explained it like this: young people are not all the same. People need different things. There are many different pathways into work, both inside systems and outside them.

Empathy is not just being kind. It’s taking the time to understand someone’s situation before making decisions about what support they “should” have.

Jasmine’s advice to young people who feel stuck

This was the final question, and it’s one many young people will relate to.

Don’t ignore what you’re passionate about.

She encouraged young people to look closely at the interests they might be pushing aside. Sometimes people ignore their interests because they think they’re not “realistic”, or they worry they won’t succeed.

But Jasmine offered a different view.

Find the specific interest that you might have been ignoring,” she said. “Because I promise you, you can turn that into a real career.

She also spoke directly to the fear that comes with creative or competitive pathways. Even if it feels like only a few people succeed, that does not mean you can’t.

Her message is about giving yourself permission to take your interests seriously. It’s about trying things, building skills, and finding your way step by step.

A final takeaway

Jasmine’s journey shows that pathways are not always straight. They can start in a hard place. They can move through small steps. They can grow through community, learning, and self-belief.

Her top three pieces of advice were:

• For adults and employers: be curious, and don’t assume young people are all the same.
• For services and systems: recognise skills gained outside paid work.
• For young people who feel stuck: pay attention to what you care about, and back yourself to explore it.

Thanks again to Jasmine for joining CoAct’s inaugural Youth Forum and sharing her lived experience and practical insights.

Head to ASE’s website to learn more about the amazing work they’re doing.

For young people looking for support on their journey into work, education or training, CoAct can help. Contact us to find out more.