HEARTS4HEART ADVOCACY TRAINING ACADEMY

Do you want to make a difference and share your story and experiences with heart disease? Learn about becoming a Hearts4heart Ambassador and help us achieve our mission to eliminate preventable strokes, deaths and suffering for people living with heart disease.

Hearts4heart is a leading health promotion charity and peak body for individuals living with heart disease in Australia and New Zealand. Supported by a network of Australian and New Zealand cardiologists, Hearts4heart is committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for people affected by heart conditions.

Through targeted educational programs, advocacy initiatives, and community support, Hearts4heart strives to:

Raise Awareness: By educating the public about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to reduce the burden of heart disease
Support Patients: By offering resources, services, and opportunities for individuals living with heart conditions to connect and share experiences
Drive Advocacy: By ensuring that patient voices are heard in healthcare decisions, policy, and research.

The Hearts4heart Advocacy Training Academy, which will run from April to December 2025, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering individuals with lived experiences of Arrhythmias, Cardiomyopathy, Congenital Heart Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Heart Valve Disease, Heart Failure or Rheumatic Heart Disease, to actively contribute to policy, research and advocacy.

Key Program Areas

1. Health Policy and Advocacy

Provides a strong foundation in policy and advocacy, empowering participants to influence change effectively

2. Research and Clinical Guidelines

Equips participants with skills to interpret and understand research and clinical guideline processes to provide meaningful contributions to relevant committees

3. Media Training and Advocacy Skills

Trains and prepares participants for public engagements and media opportunities, through robust media and presentation training focusing on confidence-building and storytelling to amplify participants’ voices in the public domain

4. Capacity Building for Committee Participation

Offers guidance on navigating meeting structures, presenting their perspective and engaging collaboratively with other committee members enabling participants to take on roles within committees, advisory boards and other decision-making bodies

The Advocacy Training Academy

The program combines the flexibility of self-paced learning, interactive online sessions and in-person media training using the Advocacy Masterclass platform to empower participants to drive meaningful change in their communities and beyond.

Self-paced learning

A comprehensive suite of 14 modules, comprising over 20 hours of video content delivered by leading experts in advocacy, health and communications. Each module is divided into short, focused video lessons, enabling participants to absorb key concepts efficiently.

Interactive Online Sessions

These carefully designed sessions are tailored to provide practical, hands-on learning in key areas of advocacy and are an opportunity for participants to connect directly with expert facilitators, ask questions and apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios. Each session will last two hours and is conducted live, offering an engaging and collaborative environment.

Session 1: Health Policy and Legislative Change
Session 2: Partnering as a Patient/Consumer

Hosted by Krystal Barter (BRCA1 previvor and internationally recognised health advocate) and featuring Shelly Horton (renowned journalist and media presenter with over two decades of experience).

In-Person Workshop

A full-day workshop in Sydney on media and presentation skills offers participants a supportive and interactive environment to hone their skills and prepare them to advocate with confidence and professionalism across various platforms.

With expert guidance from Shelly Horton, participants will leave feeling empowered to amplify their voices and effect meaningful change in cardiovascular health.

Program Resources

The Advocacy Training Academy is free to join, and Hearts4Heart will cover the cost of travel and one night’s accommodation for those selected for the in-person media training, if required.

Participants will also gain access to supplementary resources, including case studies, downloadable templates and practical exercises, to enhance their learning experience.

Hearts4heart is excited about the Advocacy Training Academy and the opportunities it will provide within the community of those living with heart disease. This program and your participation will help us to reach more people and encourage many more with lived experience to share their stories and have a voice. Together we can work towards eliminating the preventable outcomes and suffering for people living with heart disease.

Note: Although we would love to offer training to everyone, places are limited. If you are successful, the Hearts4heart team will be in touch to arrange an interview and discuss the next steps. If we are unable to offer you a place in this year’s program, we encourage you to stay connected and look out for future advocacy training opportunities. We are continually working to expand our programs and would love to support your advocacy journey in the future.

If you’re interested in registering, please visit

For more information:

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email [email protected] or call us on 1300 343 278.

Warm regards,

Hearts4heart

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