News
Out and About
The VFFF team loves getting out and about to see our partners in action and attend sector events. This quarter, we spent time visiting our partners and attending events focused on supporting young people and regional communities.
Hearing for young people at Heywire
In February, El Schwanke, Program Manager for Contributing to Society, participated in the Heywire Youth Summit hosted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and supported by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) at Parliament House, Canberra.
The event is a yearly highlight for the VFFF team thanks to the opportunity to hear from the ABC Heywire and ABC Trailblazers participants, a group of incredible young people who travel from across the country to share their stories and develop ideas to make regional Australia a better place for young people.
Over a week of facilitated sessions, this year’s participants identified several priority areas for young people in their communities: better access to development opportunities, safe and inclusive spaces for genuine connection, stronger support for regional communities before and after disasters, alcohol and drug free ways to connect, fair and responsive healthcare, and youth led education on respectful relationships that reflects diverse experiences.
The Heywire Youth Summit offers the VFFF team a chance to listen to a wide range of young voices and learn about their priorities. It also serves as an opportunity to connect with young people and organisations committed to fostering positive change for regional Australian young people, while catching up with Backing the Future alumni and VFFF’s friends at FRRR and ABC. Each year, the Summit re-energizes VFFF, reminding the team just how important it is to empower young people to share their stories and drive change on the issues that matter to them.
Exploring leadership development with AFES
In December 2025, VFFF were invited to attend the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students’ (AFES) National Training Event (NTE) in Canberra. NTE is the AFES national conference, which brings together university students and graduates from across Australia and internationally to explore and develop their leadership skills in a Christian ministry context. During the event, we met several AFES team members and students, as well as both the outgoing National Director of 23 years, Richard Chin, and Pete Sorrenson, who has been recently appointed to the role.
AFES are incredibly passionate about connecting young people and providing them with leadership development opportunities and the space to deeply explore their faith. It was heartwarming to hear them speak about how fulfilling they find the work, and the value they experience through the broader AFES community.
Inclusion in the spotlight at the Sydney Opera House
In January, Jenny Wheatley represented VFFF at a meeting at the Sydney Opera House with the Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme, The Hon. Jenny McAllister. Opera House CEO, Louise Herron AM, hosted the intimate gathering, with the purpose to showcase to the Minister the success of the VFFF-supported Workplace Readiness Program, which sees 10 young people with an intellectual disability employed at the Sydney Opera House.
Sydney Opera House co-designed this program with another of VFFF’s grantees, Jigsaw, and Jigsaw representatives also joined the gathering. A highlight was providing the opportunity for the Minister to spend time with Jigsaw graduates and now Sydney Opera House employees, Sarah, Jannvi and Felicia, and hear directly from them about their experiences.
Based on the success of the program, both the Sydney Opera House and Jigsaw believe that this program could be adapted and replicated across other cultural institutions and industries to create more inclusive employment pathways for young people living with a disability.
In Minister McAllister’s interview with 10 News Sydney at the event, the Minister emphasised, “People with disability bring amazing qualities to any workplace.”
Sarah, Jannvi and Felicia are evidence of this and after hearing from Sydney Opera House CEO, Louise Herron, about the impact the program has had on the organisation as a whole, it is hard to understand why more employers in the arts and other sectors wouldn’t want to partner with Jigsaw and harness the power of a truly inclusive workforce.
Leading by example
Hats off to the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN) for providing the opportunity for members to meet seven emerging leaders who are shaping the next generation of change at the Youth-Led NGOs and Funder Showcase held in Melbourne in February.
There was a lot of energy in the room as these young leaders shared the important work they are doing to drive change on the issues that matter to them. Congratulations to the leaders of Intrepid Landcare, Just Futures Collab, Tomorrow Movement, EcoMind, Project Planet and VFFF grantees Co-Exist Australia and Blue Minds for your commitment and passion and the difference you are making.
AEGN’s CEO, Claire O’Rourke, sent a message on the night, “One of the most important investments philanthropy can make is in young leaders. They will shine if they are provided with long term financial support, but also the guidance, coaching, mentoring and training from those who back their potential. It’s these types of investments that Australia’s largest companies regularly make in their young leaders, because they know it delivers. We should do the same for young leaders so our movement is strong and enduring.”
VFFF couldn’t agree more that investing in young leaders reaps significant rewards and Lynn Anderson, Senior Program Manager, was pleased to be invited to speak at the event and share some of the learnings from VFFF’s five years of Backing Young People.
Bravo to all these young changemakers as they navigate the significant challenges faced by their generation, with fresh ideas, hope and determination.
Family philanthropy in action
On 18 December last year, some of the "Rising Gen" of the Fairfax family, along with VFFF team members, attended a morning of volunteering with Kids in Philanthropy (KiP). KiP is an organisation whose vision is to empower young people to give back to their communities through volunteering and education programs.
We were all hosted at Addi Road, a leading multicultural community centre in Marrickville, which has been responding to community needs since 1976.
On-site are over 40 community-oriented services, such as a food pantry, a legal centre and health practitioners, art galleries and theatres, and social enterprise restaurants. We got to hear from the CEO of Addi Road and get a tour of the premises.
We also got to hear from another local charity, Early Bird Café. Early Bird operates on the steps of St Stephen’s Church in the Sydney CBD. Since 2012, they have prepared over 35,000 breakfasts for people that need them. They also provide essential items, such as personal hygiene products, books and clothes, as well as support from medical specialists.
During the sessions, we learned about giving and explored social issues affecting Sydney’s local communities, before doing some fun activities, including making Christmas-themed items for Addie Road and Early Bird.
We ended the morning with lunch at the social enterprise café on-site – Koshari Korner. We all had such a wonderful time – it was fantastic to put what we learned into action through the practical activities – and the kids loved it! We’re really grateful to KiP and their charitable partners for making the day possible.
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