We inspire youth to create positive change to their mental wellbeing. We provide young people with the tools, knowledge, experience and confidence to be agents of positive change in their community. We create a ripple effect throughout the community, inspiring people to do the thing.
Sonder Youth is a youth-based charity on the NSW South Coast. Founded in 2017, Sonder has a mission to improve youth mental health through positive action. Run by young people, for young people, we provide holistic mental health support programs focussing on prevention. We do this primarily through our Changemakers Program and the annual South Coast Changemakers Forum.
Every year, Sonder Youth positively impacts the lives of over 100 South Coast young people in our programs, and our reach is growing! In 2024 we have run programs in the Southern Highlands, Riverina Murray and Hunter New England regions.
Changemakers Program
We talk to so many young people who have a strong passion for change or a great idea for a movement but don’t know where to start. The Changemakers Program is an after-school program which runs throughout the year, providing a platform for young people to come together to collaboratively design and implement their own fully-funded projects for positive change tackling an issue they care about, while learning positive mental health strategies.
As part of the program students earn their mental health first aid certificate, improve their leadership and resilience skills, develop positive mental health and wellbeing strategies, and work as a team to create positive change projects.
South Coast Changemakers Forum
The South Coast Changemakers Forum is a 3 day event held annually, training 15 – 18 year olds to become leaders for positive change in their community. The Forum empowers young people through leadership, changemaking and community connection.
The South Coast Changemakers Forum brings together high school students from across the Shoalhaven and Kiama District for a weekend of leadership challenges, changemaking workshops, team building activities and discussion groups. The Forum allows young people to discover avenues for social change, strategies to implement changes within the community, and how individuals can be the change they want to see.
Sonder Youth has been involved with the organisation and running of the South Coast Changemakers Forum since 2018, taking over the event entirely in 2022. Forty young people attended the 2023 Forum where they had the opportunity to connect, develop skills and forge positive change networks in the community. As part of the Forum, participants took place in the Changemaker Challenge. Over 3 days they designed and pitched projects for positive change. Many of the participants from the Forum each year go on to complete their ideas in the Sonder Youth Changemakers Program.
We encourage local high schools and community groups to invite young people with an interest in social change, activism, leadership and creativity to attend the forum. We celebrate diversity and invite young people with all manner of opinions, abilities, backgrounds, passions and ideas to participate in the Forum.
Bespoke Programming
Sonder Youth provides expert fee-for-service design and facilitation of bespoke programs, workshops and events. These bespoke programs are run entirely by our team of trained, local young leaders. We’ve been honoured to partner with several purpose driven organisations including Riverina Murray LGA, Cessnock City Council, Headspace Nowra, the Shoalhaven Education Fund, Women Illawarra and Bomaderry High School, to offer our bespoke programming. We love seeing how this helps to support our community partners and our young people in different ways!
We envision a world in which individuals are educated to actively create and engage in an equal, inclusive and sustainable world through their daily actions, and we’re passionate about bringing this vision to life!
Assume best intent. Compassion for others. Be kind to yourself. Generosity. Gratitude. Respect.
We can make change. We can learn, grow, and change things for better. Our actions have a ripple effect.
Step up. Show up. Follow through. Do things that matter. Make positive change. Be brave. Do what needs to be done.
Our mission is to improve youth mental health through positive action.
Designed to support youth wellbeing, teaching positive wellbeing strategies and supporting long-term behavioural change
Give participants a voice to address the issues which matter to THEM
Increase participants' belief in themselves and their abilities
Using the above strategies to support young people to be more resilient when facing challenges
Collaboration, peer-to-peer support and an opportunity to connect with people outside their circle
Provides an avenue to connect with community and develop a sense of belonging
The wellbeing impacts of the Changemakers Program are assessed using the EPOCH Measure for Adolescent Wellbeing.
We compare participants' wellbeing before and after the program, which has demonstrated improvements to:
ENGAGEMENT
PERSEVERANCE
CONNECTION
HAPPINESS
2024 NSW Youth Work Awards, Outstanding Youth Participation, WINNER
2024 NSW Youth Work Awards, NSW Emerging Youth Worker of the Year: Takesa Frank, WINNER
Check us out in the 2025 ABC Trailblazers
Watch Takesa and Avalon speak on NextGen, UNICEF Australia’s podcast about climate anxiety here and here, January 28 2024
Our team consists of young South Coast locals who are experienced Changemakers.
Avalon Bourne
Founder & Managing Director
Avalon has a Masters in Positive Psychology and is passionate about empowering individuals and communities to create positive change as a means to improve their own wellbeing. Avalon has worked on grassroots change projects in Vietnam, India and Kenya. She has also built her own tiny home!
Takesa Frank
Project Officer
Takesa has a degree in Geography majoring in Human Geography and minoring in Indigenous Studies. When she’s not working with Sonder Youth or doing things in the community you’ll find her at work on a blueberry farm. Takesa’s passionate about First Nations justice, protecting sacred sites, and protecting our planet (+ some other things). She’s currently campaigning to protect old growth forests across NSW. Takesa enjoys working with Sonder Youth as she gets to empower young people in the local community to create the changes they wish to see. The young people in our local community are inspiring and Sonder Youth gives them a platform to have their voices heard.
Chris Petersilge
Grants & Sustainability Officer
Chris has a background working in startups and supporting entrepreneurs across regional Australia. Originally from California, Chris is passionate about helping people make positive changes in their communities. Chris brings his experience of scaling impact-driven organisations to support Sonder Youth's sustainable growth.
Gabbi Walker
Program Coordinator
Gabbi is passionate about everything Sonder stands for. She loves getting to see young people make a change and achieve their goals, no matter how big or small. As a Changemaker alumni, Gabbi is excited to give young people a chance to feel heard and capable of making positive changes in their community. She always loves seeing some live music, getting to hang out with her friends and settling in with a good book.
Oscar Moysey
Business Development Manager
Oscar studies a degree in anthropology & sociology, focusing on global sustainable development (with minors in history & literature on the side). People, culture and storytelling are the common threads interweaving the self-described “beautifully messy” tapestry that is Oscar’s life. Oscar refuses to do just one thing in one place and is instead always chasing new adventures and deeper connections, living out a strong affinity with the idea of Sonder. Alongside student, Oscar has worn the titles of manager of a coffee & wine bar and project officer in a professional fundraising & philanthropy organisation over the past few years. Yet it is being a Sonder person, a changemaker, and in working with young people that Oscar finds hope and purpose. When not writing essays on the fly, you’ll find Oscar curating photographs, vinyls and postcards, reading beside the ocean, planning outfits for a music festival, training for a half marathon, restoring mid-century furniture or pickling various vegetables.
Bella Dewsbury-Love
Social Media Manager & Program Leader
Bella’s current aspiring adventures involve backpacking around Europe and seeing the world, hopefully trying every different food possible! Bella truly loves being a part of Sonder Youth and the positive impact it is making on the community alongside the empowerment of young people. She has a soft spot for early 2000s hits, turkish delights and sausage dogs! She hopes to see our world become a place where changes to create a sustainable environment and strengthen human connections are made, and she thinks with the voice and passion of young people, it can be done!
Sid George
Program Leader
One of the keys to Sid’s heart is through Sonder Youth. This is because of the strong friendships and connections that are able to be made. Sid’s time with Sonder Youth has shaped his passion for youth mental health and wellbeing. He’s now studying social work at university. His journey to this position today has been filled with joyful moments and memories. Sonder Youth are a family who are always there to support him.
Em McNeil
Program Leader
Em is a recent high school graduate and Changemakers alumni. She is committed to empowering young people to take action and create the changes they wish to see in the world. Emily’s dedication to sustainability and mental health drives her to inspire others to appreciate the beauty in life’s small, everyday moments. She is thrilled to be part of the Sonder team, and is excited to contribute to and further the positive impact Sonder continues to make within the community. Em loves beach days, sunny adventures, and quality time with her sausage dog, Cosmo.
Will Dewsbury-Love
Program Leader
Having just finished high school, Will has decided to take a break from studying and embark on the infamous ‘Gap year’. Will's first experience with Sonder Youth was in 2021 where he attended the Changemakers Camp evidentially falling in love with Sonder’s message. He then attended the changemakers program and became a changemakers alumni. Will loves being able to support young people to identify issues in their community and then provide the resources for them to make positive change. Will loves a good belly laugh, a crisp swim at the beach, and the occasional boogie!
Sonder Youth is a Company Limited by Guarantee and is governed by an elected Board of Directors who oversee our policy, direction and governance.
Sammi Stiff
Sammi is a Shoalhaven local through and through. She loves spending time with her daughter Lil, fur babies and friends in, on or by the water. Sammi also loves sharing laughs over a delicious meal. Sammi has held many job titles over the years, her favourite being Community Engagement Officer for headspace Nowra followed closely by Outreach Officer at UOW Shoalhaven, probably because both included working with and for young people. Sammi is passionate about the environment, supporting people to achieve own version of success and drinking peppermint tea!
Jessica Richardson
Having grown up on the South Coast, Jess is stoked to be able to be back living the saltwater lifestyle on the Shoalhaven and working for the community and young people in local government. Jess is a Community Development and Public Health professional, with experience working in Australia with migrants and refugees and in Vanuatu with women and people with disability on social inclusion and physical health programs. Jess is starting an adventure as a new mum and loves the change in pace and reminders to go with the flow. Plus she can't wait to show her bub the world!
Christian Avasalu
With a Bachelor's of Physical and Health Education and 5 years experience in Outdoor Education, Christian is a teacher of Science and Mathematics at The Scots College - Glengarry Campus. Having grown up on the South Coast of NSW, Christian has a rich experience and appreciation for the needs of his community. He is a lover of all things outdoors, hiking, riding, climbing and surfing and has a passion for ecology, health and the empowerment of young people. One of his self-confessed, fatal flaws is keeping far too many houseplants for any one human to look after.
Sharlina Swan
Sharlina is part owner of Financial Dynamics, chartered accountant, and mother of three grown girls.
Her passions are helping businesses and people, health and fitness, and continued personal growth. She just loves to get out in this area of ours and enjoy all it has to offer. Not only the stunning environment but also getting to know the beautiful community members.
When Sharlina had the opportunity to join the board of directors of Sonder, she was quick to put up her hand as it not only aligned with her values, but she loved what Sonder stood for. Sharlina has always been interested in people's stories, the psychology of people, and the amazing insights that can come from our youth.
Sharlina’s goal every day is to have someone say that she has made a difference in their life or in some small way, she made their day better. She is looking forward to bringing this to her new role, and being part of the journey and future of Sonder.
Hayden Fineran
Hayden has worked across the community sector for over 7 years for both Local Government and the Not for Profit, where he currently managers a large team across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven for the Flagstaff Group, supporting people living with a disability to find and engage in employment. He is a passionate advocate for people living with a disability, gender equality and First Nations people. When he’s not at work, you’ll find Hayden either training for Strongman or Martial Arts or enjoying time with his wonder wife, Caroline.
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