News
VFFF Youth Advisory Group - In conversation with Elise Lane
As part of our regular Youth Advisory Group Q&A series, we are excited to introduce you to Elise Lane.
Tell us a bit about you! Where are you from, what do you do, and what are some of your passions/interests?
Hi, my name's Elise. I'm a proud Wiradjuri woman from central New South Wales. I was born and have spent the vast majority of my life on beautiful Awabakal land in the Lake Macquarie/ Newcastle region in New South Wales.
I have a real passion for education. In particular, the educational experiences of individuals and ensuring that everyone has access to a way of learning and expanding their mind and knowledge in a way that works for them. So, recognising everyone is unique and individual and providing those educational opportunities and experiences that are going to allow them to thrive rather than feel as though they can't do it.
One of my favourite quotes is by Albert Einstein: “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it's stupid.”
I am passionate about finding ways to ensure that everyone is able to tap into that genius.
My current role is the Learning and Development Manager at the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, where I am fortunate enough to work with an amazing team to design and deliver various educational and training programs across the country that focus on Indigenous governance excellence. We are also focussed on how we can get more young people interested in participating in governance and directorship to provide those voices in the boardroom or other governance structures.
What is your connection to rural and regional Australia?
I've lived for majority of my life in Lake Macquarie, but also lived for about 10 years up in Bundaberg in Queensland, which is about four and a half hours north of Brisbane on the coast.
I have also been really fortunate to work with a number of fabulous individuals and organisations from a number of different Rural and Regional communities across Australia through my current and previous roles and so I always feel so blessed and privileged to spend time with them, hear from them, and learn from them.
You have just started your second term as a VFFF Youth Advisory Group member – why did you want to come back a second term? What are you most looking forward to?
I'm so excited to have started my second term as a VFFF Youth Advisory Group member. It was an easy decision for me to come back for a second term. The YAG is such a special and innovative initiative: in grant making specifically but also more broadly across any decision making structure. I'm very passionate about ensuring that the people that are most directly affected by decisions that impact them have a voice in the decision-making processes of those decisions. So, I believe that these kinds of advisory groups are so important. But it is also important to ensure that they're done correctly, and I feel that VFFF do this so effectively and with purpose and really listen and respect and value the YAG’s input.
It's also been a really wonderful experience to learn a lot about grant making and philanthropy as a whole and to learn from my fellow YAG members. They inspire me every day and I learn so much hearing from their different perspectives. It's also special to be a part of the Backing the Future grant. It's a really exciting and unique grant and I am also inspired by a lot of the people, particularly the young people, that apply for this grant and do amazing things. It's exciting to be part of backing them, even if it is just a small part.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on VFFF’s activities