fostering a collaborative network among youth-focused non-profits (The Youth Impact Network);
nurturing promising organisations with in our incubator (The Youth Impact Hub);
strategically integrating select youth-focused non-profits into a central service function model (The Youth Impact Operations)
enhance operational efficiency, economic diversity and performance of those organisations involved;
enabling more sustainable and impactful programs improving the wellbeing and development of young people across Australia.
blueprinting a scalable open-source model that empowers the charity sector to achieve greater impact through collaboration, integration and funding diversification.
Impacting Over
250,000
Young People Each Year
Runs Events and Programs in
EVERY
State in Australia
Partnered with the
University of Melbourne
To Measure Our Impact
Integrated
10
Organisations in our central service model
Lowered their operating costs by
24%
by reducing duplication
Increased their revenue by
9%
Through Integration
Andy
Chief Executive Officer
Andy is the CEO of The Youth Impact Foundation. When Andy was 21, he founded the Not-for-Profit organisation Burn Bright, a social enterprise with the mission of increasing the wellbeing of young people through leadership and character-building programmes and national camps based on an evidence-based theory of change centred on wellbeing science and positive psychology. Andy also serves as The Managing Director of the National Leadership Forum, an annual leadership event for Young people aged 18-26 in Parliament House in Canberra. As a result of these ventures, Andy has impacted Over 100,000 young people In Australia and Internationally.
While completing his Master of Science in Coaching Psychology at the University of Sydney, Andy was part of a working group of 10 youth mental health-focused charities. They were tasked with discussing ‘how might they collaborate better together’, leading to him founding The Youth Impact Foundation. Andy believes in a community and people-first approach to living out his vision for the not-for-profit sector is to see more reliance, cooperation and resource sharing to ensure not-for-profits are more sustainable in making a difference in the lives of all Australians, which compliments his ambition to help others build relationships and community so young people are known, loved and can see their value and influence on the world around them.
Andy firmly believes leadership is accessible to everyone - not just those with a badge or appointed in leadership roles.
Layton
Chief of Staff
Layton Fraser is the Chief Of Staff of The Youth Impact Foundation. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Layton moved to New Zealand when he was young and eventually moved to Australia to co-found Burn Bright with Andy Skidmore. After eight years of Burn Bright, The Youth Impact Foundation was founded to create and sustain an even greater impact. Layton has a background in the sporting industry and sports coaching, having previously studied for a sports degree and working for both New Zealand Cricket and the BLACKCAPS for over six years, including during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which serves as a highlight. Being involved with sports at its highest level and with a range of sporting talents has provided Layton with many incredible opportunities and insight into how athletes handle and use their inherited influence.
Layton also developed a keen interest in leadership and the opportunities that came with it. This started with Layton being one of the founding members of the Hauraki District Youth Council and flowed on to him attending many leadership forums and events around the globe. Within leadership, Layton has a passion and key interest in the concept and exploration of Servant Leadership. Layton’s definition and belief of Servant Leadership is, to lead and make decisions with others as the first priority which at times may be at the sacrifice of the leader. Servant Leadership and Robert Greanleaf’s writings, have played a significant role in Layton’s thoughts and development.
Layton approaches his professional life and experience creation from a unique perspective – allowing him to constantly challenge and push boundaries to create the best and most impactful experience for all involved. Layton’s curiosity, open-mindedness, and commitment towards understanding, explaining, and navigating the leadership space create a thought-provoking and mindset-challenging experience for those who engage with him. While not working, you may find Layton enjoying golf with his friends, 4wding and camping, or a lazy weekend on the couch watching whatever sport is on offer.
Michaela
Chief Business Development Officer
Simon
Chief Strategy Officer
Simon Thurston is the Chief Strategy Officer of The Youth Impact Foundation, where he leads the Organisational Development, Measurement, and Policy. He has extensive experience in learning and development and organisational development and change. He previously worked as part of a Global Learning and Development team, having project managed, designed, and deployed both face-to-face and digital learning in over 15 languages and into over 75 countries. Simon has a comprehensive background in facilitation, having led corporate learning in four countries and countless coaching, train-the-trainer, and specialised workshops. Simon is passionate about coaching and elevating others to reach their potential and facilitating opportunities for others to recognise the impact they can have on the world around them.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations, human resource management, and Geography with honours from the University of Waikato and a Graduate Certificate in Business Psychology from the University of Western Australia. In his spare time, Simon enjoys reading, ultramarathon running, and playing board games with friends
Treen
Chief Financial Officer
Valentine
CEO Aotearoa New Zealand
Paul Keys
Chairperson
Paul is passionate about authentic, genuine leadership and the personal growth of individuals, particularly the future leaders of our industries and society.
He recently joined the board after working closely with Andy in 2020, a time where he was able to see the positive impact the The Youth Impact Foundation's subsidiaries was able to have on the young people with whom they work with daily. This left a strong desire for him to help support the continued growth with young people in Australia and New Zealand.
Paul has been in banking for the past 20+ years, working in both Australia and Europe at HPS, Commonwealth Bank, GE Capital and Morgan Stanley after starting his career at KPMG in Sydney. He has a B.Bus (Acc/ Finance) from UTS and is a Chartered Accountant.
Paul is married to the amazing Holly and has 3 children, Joe, Ava and Oliver who are fast becoming young adults and continue to challenge, inspire and drive him on a daily basis. Away from work, Paul spends most of his spare time with family and friends, watching or coaching kids sport or escaping on long trail runs into the amazing bushland surrounding Sydney.
Sam Thomas
Director
Samantha Thomas is General Counsel & Company Secretary for Fleetwood a ASX listed modular housing company.
With more than 20 years’ experience in the legal profession, Samantha brings extensive experience specialising in property, construction, mergers and acquisitions, governance and general corporate advice.
Samantha previously worked for Stockland where she held senior positions as an enterprise leader advising on a number of landmark transactions and developments across Australia. She has also previously held positions at David Jones, the Barangaroo Delivery Authority and in legal private practice. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science from Macquarie University.
Cath Healy
Director
Cath believes investing in the mental health and wellbeing of young people is investing in our future. She’s a passionate supporter of The Youth Impact Foundation and the positive impact that their programs and camps have on the young people in Australia and New Zealand.
Cath has a double degree in Social Work and Arts majoring in Psychology & Sociology and a Graduate Diploma Mental Health Science majoring in Children & Adolescents. She has extensive experience working with children, young people, their families and schools as a Wellbeing Practitioner in NSW and as a Student Support Services Officer in VIC.
Cath lives in Rural NSW with her husband and two sons and works in Private Practice, providing online and face-to-face therapeutic counselling.
Andrew Lawrence
Director
Andrew brings broad business experience to The Youth Impact Foundation Board! Through a 30 year career he has driven growth and profitability at Visy Industries, Dairy Farmers, Mars, Colgate and Nestle after commencing as a Graduate Trainee at Unilever.
He holds a BE and BSc from Sydney Uni and a MComm from UNSW. He has led or been on leadership teams and boards in his key roles for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to The Youth Impact Foundation team.
Beyond this business career he had been a life mentor to many over the past 10 years and has a passion for young people to be transformed into the leaders of the future in whatever they do. He built a number of high performing teams through his business career and loves seeing people reach their full potential and making a mark on this planet.
In recent years he has completed coaching certifications and a range of other courses in the personal transformation space and is also a Personal Trainer with Vision PT and trains a number of professional clients most mornings. He is married to the beautiful Jess and has 3 early 20’s children who are awesome and are exploring their passions in this world with amazing success. They have taught Andrew plenty over the years and they share awesome relationships these days despite having to take a tough road at times to get to here.
He grew up in Adelaide then Sydney from the age of 13 and has lived in Melbourne and Albury but now resides back in Sydney.
Julie Gillick OAM
Director
Julie recently retired after a lifetime as a teacher and School principal. Her educational leadership was characterised by the embedding of a culture that represented aspirational levels of the core values of service, integrity, and servant leadership.
As a CEO, Julie championed The Youth Impact Foundation experience amongst schools as transformational – speaking to the heart of young people and inspiring positive action.
Board Member from 2021, Julie brings broad skills in governance, and special interest in strategy in relation to research and professional growth. An experienced Director on NFP Boards including AISNSW, Thyne Reid Foundation and Ngununggula Regional Gallery, Julie’s post-graduate qualifications include M Ed Admin (Deakin) and leadership studies at Harvard and London Business Schools. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Julie grew up in Bendigo, Victoria and worked in the public education sector before moving to Sydney and joining Redlands. She was Deputy Head of Queenwood before her appointment as Head of Frensham Schools in 2000, till retirement in 2020. A passionate Masters netballer, she and her husband Guy live in the beautiful Southern Highlands with their twin Burmese cats, Louis and Charles.
Ed Swayne
Director
Ed is the numbers man on The Youth Impact Foundation Board! Throughout his career, he’s worked with top-tier investment banks. Ed has significant experience with capital raising projects and has worked across major Merger and Acquisition deals.
He studied a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics at Macquarie University majoring in Actuarial Studies & Finance. He’s the proud Dad of Ethan & Anna and is a stock market guru.
Interested in being part of The Youth Impact Foundation or supporting our funding campaign. Please fill out the form below and we will be right in touch, or feel free to download our pitch deck for a more comprhrensive overview.