In November 2020, Future2 awarded $199,769 in grants to community not-for-profit organisations with programs for socially and financially disadvantaged young Australians.
There are 20 charity organisations across Australia who received grants, each endorsed by a local FPA member.
Country to Canberra
Canberra, ACT
Endorsed by Craig Phillips AFP®
Country to Canberra is a national not-for-profit organisation providing education, leadership and mentorship opportunities to regional and remote teenage girls who are financially or socially disadvantaged. The grant will support Country to Canberra’s Leadership Competition and Power Trip camp supporting high school aged young women reach their leadership potential.
Winners of the competition are awarded an all-expenses-paid five-day Power Trip camp to Canberra where they meet top leaders (such as the Prime Minister and the head of UN Women), participate in leadership development and public speaking training, attend key events and more. Participants also attend a financial wellbeing education workshop highlighting the important of financial management and literacy.
Whitelion Youth Agency
Mount Druitt, NSW
Endorsed by Laurence Poulter AFP®
Whitelion’s Hospitality Employment Program (HEP) supports highly vulnerable, high-risk young Australians, with a focus on culturally diverse young people, aged 15-25 years old from Western Sydney. HEP focuses on addressing high unemployment rates for young people in Western Sydney by providing vocational placement and attainment of the Certificate III in Hospitality and providing 36 shifts of work experience at Whitelion’s social enterprise café in Mt Druitt.
Youth Solutions
Macarthur & Wingecarribee, NSW
Endorsed by Peter Nonnenmacher CFP®
Youth Solutions is a not for profit charity providing drug and alcohol education and health promotion programs for young people aged 12 – 25 years. These programs equip young people with the skills, knowledge, resilience and support they need to make safer choices and to prevent them from drug and alcohol related harm. Youth Solutions’ programs are delivered with groups of young people in schools, other educational institutions, juvenile justice, sporting clubs and young people associated with other youth and community services. The grant will support Youth Solutions’ continuing programs to support young people to quit drugs and smoking and make better choices for the wellbeing and health through programs.
Byron Youth Services
Byron Bay, NSW
Endorsed by: Shane Hayes
Byron Youth Service (BYS) is a not-for-profit charity providing services for young people aged 12 – 24 years. Since 1987, BYS has been the primary provider of youth services in Byron Shire. The grant will support BYS’ Best Life program, developed in partnership with Byron Bay police, providing 12 young offenders who are at extreme risk of entering or returning to juvenile detention with a chance to turn their lives around through mentorship, community service, life-skills training and creative workshops. Best Life will create positive life experiences and pathways that lead to education and employment, better health and wellbeing and most importantly, help steer these young people away from juvenile detention.
The Run Beyond Project
Sydney Region & Bathurst
Endorsed by: David Hazlewood CFP®
The Run Beyond Project is a holistic program that helps high school students in need through the delivery of running education and coaching programs. The program provides life skills training, mentoring and improvements in physical, social and emotional wellbeing, and creates opportunities for students to build community networks. Students participate in classroom activities, athletic training and mentoring as they prepare to accomplish a community based ‘goal’ running event.
This grant will build on existing programs by supporting students to compete in a small, regional running event, the Bathurst Panorama Punish.
Run Beyond Project was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2018.
Greenacres
North Wollongong, NSW
Endorsed by: Deanne Sheridan CFP®
Greenacres Disability Services, The Kickstart Skilled n Social Program supports young people with intellectual disability to build a range of skills and abilities to improve their independence, support their social development and create a social network to reduce isolation and improve social connectedness. Its cooking program commenced around two years ago with a small number of supported employees from its Disability Enterprises who either lived independently or had a goal of living independently and wanted to learn how to cook. The program is in high demand and provides participates with life skills including how to plan healthy menus, research recipes online, choose options within their budget, learn to shop for and purchase ingredients as well as hygiene and safety skills. Participants learn how to cook independently, share mealtime with their friends and compile their own easy-to-read cookbook.
Red Dust, Nauiyu, Daly River Region NT
Endorsed by: Susie Erratt CFP®
Red Dust has has delivered youth focused health and wellbeing programs with some of the most remote Aboriginal communities in Australia for more than 20 years. The grant will support its 2021 Digital Media program providing up to 15 Indigenous students with skills and experience in digital media production including writing, recording and producing digital media including project planning and budgeting.
Traction for Young People, Alexandra Hills QLD
Endorsed by: Tim Kent CFP®
TRACTION supports a wide-range of at risk young people aged 12 – 15 including those experiencing illness and physical, social or financial disadvantage, those engaging in self-harm, dealing with drug addiction or experiencing abuse or domestic violence, to re-discover the joy of learning and build powerful futures. The grant will support four one-day bicycle building workshops for 24 vulnerable young people across South East Queensland. The workshops will help to build participants’ skills, ambitions and connections that will empower them to positively re-engage with education and expose them to employment pathways. Program participants, working in groups of six, will dissemble and then rebuild and craft new, bespoke bikes under the tutelage of three TRACTION trainer-mentors teaching basic bicycle mechanics, along with practical, social, team building and communication skills that support re-engagement. At program completion, participants will be presented with their bikes to keep, as a reward for and ongoing reminder of a job well done, and providing them with a mode of transport, promoting active, healthy lifestyles, freedom and independence, and for many, a valuable means through which to access school and work.
ThinkAgain Australia, Gladstone Region QLD
Endorsed by: Dean Loosmore CFP®
ThinkAgain is a non-profit that exists to strengthen the mental health of students based in the Gladstone Region. It provides local schools with evidence-based programs that strengthen student wellbeing, resilience and mental health by providing program focusing on support for young people experiencing depression and anxiety, low self esteem, eating and body image issues, bullying, addiction, loss and grief and more. The curriculum is based around videos of Australian teenagers sharing their stories of overcoming struggle, which break down barriers of stigma by providing real peer role models that students can learn from and emulate.
Kurbingui Youth and Family Development, Brisbane QLD
Endorsed by: Richard Grimshaw CFP®
Kurbingui Youth and Family Development’s Pathways into Tidda-Hood is a contemporary, urban-community based Rite of Passage approach for young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander females (aged 12 – 17) in a beautiful urban bush setting conducive to the cultural learning objectives of this initiative. The program focuses on supporting young women experiencing body changes and developing social and emotional maturity to connect with their natural body cycles and rhythms as well as their culture, family, traditions and values. The program will support increased self-identity, cultural identity, confidence, healthy acceptance of body, healthy peer relationships, strong female relationships, greater self-awareness, confident communication and more. The program will be delivered to around 200 students across nine local high schools.
Yellow Bridge QLD, Toowoomba QLD
Endorsed by: Steve Kirkman CFP®
Yellow Bridge QLD is a not-for-profit focusing on housing, disability support, youth and home services in the Toowoomba, Southern Downs and Lockyer Valley regions. The grant will support 15 young people have the opportunity to obtain their provisional driving license. Having a driving license opens the door for many young people to better education and employment opportunities. The program connects young people with a suitable supervisor and vehicle and includes financial assistance for professional driving lessons and licensing costs.
South Sudanese Australian Youth United (SSAYU), Dovetone (Casey), Dandenong and Melton VIC
Endorsed by: Scott Brouwer CFP®
South Sudanese Australian Youth United (SSAYU) is a non-profit organisation with a primary focus of empowering South Sudanese young people in areas of education and employment, whilst combating issues of alcoholism and high rates of incarceration. SSAYU’s Bounce Back Pathway is a mentoring program empowering young people to reach their highest potential through mentorship and sport – basketball. The grant will help to fund more participants to the program.
SSAYU was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2019.
HoMie (Conscious Creative), Melbourne VIC
Endorsed by: Julian Place CFP®
HoMie runs an accredited retail training and education paid internship for young people aged 16 to 25 who are affected by homelessness or hardship. Every year, HoMie selects young people who apply through our partnered Alliance Community Support Services to participate in an eight-month paid on-the-job work experience at the HoMie Street Store or a HoMie Alliance trained business. HoMie interns graduate with a Certificate III in Retail Operations, six-months paid retail work-experience, eight-months paid personal development training and improved confidence, resilience, self-aspirations and life skills. The grant will support a record-number of interns for the program at a time when the organisation’s retail sales have been badly impacted by lockdowns due to COVID-19.
The Social Studio, Collingwood VIC and online
Endorsed by: Patricia Peters CFP®
The Social Studio is a social enterprise which includes a fashion school, clothing label, retail shop, digital textile print studio, clothing manufacturer and a community space created from the style and skills of young people from new migrant and refugee communities. It champions the values of diversity, community, education, environmentally sustainable design and ethical business practices and facilitates a range of projects that provide social support including legal advice, counselling, tutoring, driving and formal training in clothing production, retail and fashion. As an agile organisation, it is responding to the challenges presented by COVID-19 to pivot to online delivery of its education programs. The grant will support the delivery of online pre-accredited training and education including workshops focusing on financial literacy and small business, English language and numeracy and work-readiness as well as programs exploring Australian culture, women’s rights, mental health, family services, counselling and more.
Hello Hurricane Foundation, Greater Geelong VIC
Endorsed by: Brad Walker AFP®
Hello Hurricane Foundation uses regular physical training to work with young people. It aims to step-in at a critical period in young people’s development, and offer a pathway via physical activity for personal growth that will build resilience, knowledge, confidence and leadership. High challenge physical activities are complemented by a planned program of group discussions, targeting areas of difficulty for many young people, such as self-esteem, mental health, nutrition, peer relationships and more. Tragically, since February 2020, five young people within the Geelong area have died through suicide. The grant will support Project DELTA, a school based volunteer led outreach program that aims to be the initial contact and provide information and referral pathways to professional mental health support agencies for young people. This program aims to cast the net far and wide to assist those young people struggling with their own mental health by just being present and helping them navigate these uncertain times.
Hello Hurricane Foundation was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2018.
Nature Foundation, Hiltaba Nature ReserveSA
Endorsed by: Michael Sanderson CFP®
Nature Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation that invests in conserving, restoring and protecting South Australian landscapes, flora and fauna to ensure their survival. The grant will support Nature Foundation’s Kids on Country five-day camp for 10 young Aboriginal people at Hiltaba Nature Reserves, which is approximately 700km from Adelaide. During the camp, the young people will take part in conservation and cultural activities and attend workshops on social and emotional well-being. Past participants of the Kids on Country program noted that the five-day camp and workshops helped increase their self-esteem, built resilience and persistence and helped them gain an understanding of the landscape ecology. They also expressed how the program created a curiosity for culture through interactions with Aboriginal Elders and key stakeholders increasing their well-being and identity.
No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability, Adelaide SA
Endorsed by Tracey Edwards CFP®
No Strings Attached is a theatre company that works exclusively with performers living with disability. The grant will support a pilot program to provide nationally accredited training for performers that will address a gap in currently available program which are not tailored to capacities and limitations of individual participants including cognitive/ physical challenges, memory issues, physical stamina etc. It will provide six 2-hour sessions and a job ready coaching session for up to five performers to help them to develop a career plan, skills portfolio and build networks in the arts industry. The program will enable the participants to complete unit of the Certificate III in Community Dance, Theatre and Events.
Hamlet Inc, Hobart TAS
Endorsed by Stuart Barry CFP®
Hamlet Inc (Hamlet) is a registered charity providing much needed practical work experience and training opportunities for young Tasmanians though two social enterprises, Hamlet Café and Hamlet Catering Co. Hamlet supports young people facing long-term unemployment, those with an intellectual or physical disability and those with low literacy or numeracy skills by providing skills required to transition to paid employment. The participants acquire presentation skills, customer service and point of sales training, basic work health and safety knowledge and support with their CV/ resumes.
Leading Youth Forward, Perth WA
Endorsed by: Zacary Leeson CFP®
Leading Youth Forward is a registered charity that supports and empowers teens ages 12-15 in Perth who have experienced significant disadvantage such as (social, financial, emotional or parental hardship). Teens participate in a year-long program with a combination of focused small group activities and charity wide events such as their Big Day Out (BDO) development days and a kick-off camp. The grant will help fund the four BDO days during 2021 and help Leading Youth Forward reach a significantly larger group of teens needing the support.
Leading Youth Forward was also awarded a $10,000 Future2 grant in 2018 and in 2019.
Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre, Perth WA
Endorsed by: Nicholas Gahan AFP®
Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre is a not-for-profit organisation established to support children with type 1 diabetes and their families. It’s ‘Drive your diabetes’ program can provide 150 affordable clinical care appointments to young people aged 16 – 25 years as well as peer support, education workshops, social events and an online community.
