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.
This year, Sonder Youth is on track to positively impact the lives of over 100 South Coast young people in our programs.
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
Over the past year, we’ve also begun to expand our offering to provide 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 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
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!
Clare Watts
Marketing & Communications Lead
Clare is the marketing and communications lead for Sonder Youth. After a decade spent working in the corporate world, Clare felt a burning need to be the change she wanted to see and to surround herself with people who shared her passions. Clare believes that through supporting young people to envision change in their communities, we can inspire a generation to change their world!
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.
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.
Jazz Klimiuk
Flip Off Challenge Coordinator
Jasmine is a social work student in her third year at UOW. She is passionate about working within local communities and young people. Jasmine is also dedicated to environmental sustainability as she is a cofounder of BioEnviro, a small business developed through Changemakers.
Bella Dewsbury-Love
Program Leader & Merch Queen
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!
Betty Coulthart
Program Leader & Merch Queen
Betty has just completed her high school journey and is currently embarking on a gap year adventure. Betty’s year ahead is a blend of work, travel and self-discovery as she soaks up the sun at the beach, plays with flowers, immerses herself in captivating books and hangs out with her friends. Betty is passionate about sustainability and is dedicated to empowering young people. Having been a Changemakers alum, Betty is ready to take on a new path in her first year working with Sonder Youth. She is super excited as she loves helping young people make a positive change, and she loves being a part of the positive impact Sonder is making in the community!
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.
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!
Lucy Carter
Lucy is a gardening enthusiast, wife (of Toby), and mum (to Byron and two very disobedient dogs). Lucy's previous job titles include lawyer, bartender, tutor, and checkout-chick, as well as a brief stint (2 hours) as a waitress. Lucy is passionate about social justice, our planet, hand-made cards, hand-picked flowers, home-grown vegetables, to-do lists, and excel spreadsheets.
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.
Grady O’Shea
Grady is currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering and also a Bachelor of Commerce. He is a co-founder of BioEnviro - the developed concept from a project started at Changemakers Camp in 2019. His goal in life is to successfully run an engineering firm while having a diverse investment portfolio in order to have a financially secure future.
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.
Do you want to partner with us? Get in touch today.
