FYA Names 2013 Young Social Pioneers
20 August 2013 at 11:48 am
Addressing youth homelessness, education projects in developing countries and socially inclusive dance classes for the disabled are just some of the projects being led by the 18 young Australians who have been accepted into the 2013 Young Social Pioneers (YSP) program.
Run by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) and now in its fifth-year, YSP is a 12-month mentoring and leadership program that invests in inspired young Australians aged 18 to 29.
Jan Owen AM, CEO of FYA, said that even after five years she is amazed by the extraordinary talent and ideas that the YSP program uncovers.
“These young people are already punching above their weight in the work they are doing locally and internationally,”Owen said.
“The Young Social Pioneers program helps them channel their efforts and equips them with the skills and networks they need to make a difference in society.”
Other projects being run by this year’s Pioneers include recycling old cameras for young people in need, tackling body image issues, a sustainable fashion event, a communal dining house and a new magazine for young women that aims to provide positive role models.
The 2013 Pioneers have been selected from over 100 applications and come from a wide range of metropolitan and regional areas across Australia.
At the end of August, the new Pioneers will be be in Melbourne for five days of intensive workshops, marking the start of their 12-month journey that will include mentoring, international networking and training and development in leadership, communication, business planning, finance, evaluation and resilience.
“The Young Social Pioneers program was founded to address the challenges that can prevent young social entrepreneurs from meeting their potential,” Owen said.
The 2013 Young Social Pioneers:
Aaron McNeilly, 25, VIC, CEO of Enterprise Network for Young Australians, a Not for Profit that supports the funding, fuelling and connecting of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Aiden Harrison, 18, NSW, Founder of Swish Start, an initiative that uses basketball as a tool to raise young people’s awareness of mental health.
Ali Phillips, 21, QLD, Founder of Bust a Move Dance, a social inclusion initiative that delivers hip hop dance classes for people with disabilities, to assist them with flexibility, coordination and memory.
Alysha Herrmann, 28, SA, regional theatre-maker and advocate with a focus on empowering children and young people through creative expression.
Ashlee Harrison, 25, WA, Founder of zero2hero, a Not for Profit with a mission to address mental health problems openly among younger people.
Ashleigh Grogan, 24, VIC, Co-founder of Young Vagabond, a magazine for young women offering an alternative to other print publications, which often have an unhealthy focus on image and sexuality.
Ben Duggan, 23, NSW/ACT, Founder of Raising Hope Education Foundation, a Not for profit that runs youth-led initiatives that help students to gain confidence and feel worthy.
Bridie Ritchie, 25, WA, Co-founder of Halfglassfull, a creative marketing agency that champions cause-related businesses, social enterprises and Not for Profits.
Celia Boyd, 26, VIC, Co-founder of Community Seeds, an initiative that supports community based organisations in developing countries to help them deliver change in their local communities.
Conrad Liveris, 20, WA, Founder of Street Smugglers, a Not for Profit aimed at educating the community about homelessness issues.
Edda Hamar, 24, QLD, Founder of Undress Brisbane, an annual vintage and sustainable fashion event that challenges the community to assess the sustainability of their wardrobe.
Felicity Briody, 27, QLD, Founder of Power of Engineering, a series of events aimed at educating and inspiring students and teachers about the benefits of a career in engineering.
Jade Stott, 29, WA, Founder of Camera Recycle Project, a youth organisation that collects unused and old cameras from the community and makes them available to disadvantaged youth.
Jamie Green, 26, VIC, Founder of One Night Stand, a profit-for-purpose sleepwear label that invests its profits into projects that ‘keep sleep off the streets’.
Jamin Heppell, 23, VIC, Founder of Captains Camp, a sports leadership development program that empowers young leaders to create a positive culture in their local club and community.
Lauren Moss, 26, NT, Co-founder of the Skin Deep Project, a body image project that aims to make a difference in the way that people feel about themselves.
Michael Furey, 25, NSW, Founder of Global Sunrise, a project that fundraises through an international network to provide electricity to some of the world’s most deprived communities.
Scott Duncan, 28, VIC, Co-founder of Feast of Merit, a communal dining house based on the philosophy of being local, ethical, sustainable.
