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.

VFFF join the Red Frogs at Schoolies

On 23 November, a number of VFFF Directors and Team had the opportunity to see the incredible work of our partner, Red Frogs, in action. VFFF were invited by Red Frogs to the Gold Coast to observe how they assist thousands of Schoolies that stay in the area over the annual two-week period.

With over 1400 volunteers, Red Frogs works to “support, serve and safeguard young people” in a number of contexts – including in high school and at university, at Schoolies and music festivals. They provide pancake cook-ups, room cleans and check-ins, emotional support, walk-homes, and of course, red frogs! It was terrific to see this impactful work in action.

The Red Frogs team with VFFF Directors and team. Photo credit: Red Frogs Australia

VFFF Chair, Rosemary Vilgan, Deputy Chair, Ruth Armytage and other members of the VFFF team at the Shepherd Centre graduation ceremony.

The Shepherd Centre Graduation

In October, VFFF was delighted to celebrate one of our long-standing partners, The Shepherd Centre. VFFF’s Chair, Rosemary Vilgan, Deputy Chair, Ruth Armytage, and team members attended the 2025 Off to Schools Showcase, marking the graduation of the Class of 2025 as they take their next exciting step—starting big school!

It was truly inspiring to witness the profound impact The Shepherd Centre has on the lives of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children and their families. VFFF is pleased to support The Shepherd Centre through a grant to co-design and implement a lived experience peer mentoring program for deaf and hard of hearing young people.

VFFF Directors, the TFFF team and the Yalari Foundation team.

Celebrating 20 years of the Yalari Foundation

VFFF Directors, Tim Fairfax, Joseph O’Brien and Peter Johnstone were thrilled to attend a morning tea in November to celebrate Yalari’s 20 years of work supporting almost 850 Indigenous students. From 2008-2013 VFFF provided funding to Yalari ($2.4m) for scholarships for Indigenous young people from rural and remote communities to attend boarding schools in NSW.

Yalari founder, Waverley Stanley, entertained the group with stories of how Tim was on his Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) panel when the idea of Yalari was first sitting with him. It was Waverley’s ARLP experience that allowed him the time and support to fully consider and develop the idea for the organisation.

VFFF Directors were joined at the morning tea by friends and colleagues from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation (TFFF), who continue to provide funding to Yalari today. Bruce Davidon, Yalari Chair, said that it cannot be underestimated how critical capacity-building funding is for organisations like Yalari, and thanked VFFF and TFFF for their ongoing, flexible support over the years.

Youthworks camp showcases young leaders

In October, our partner, Anglican Youthworks (Youthworks), invited VFFF’s Claire, Tessa and Nicki to observe an evening session of their spring Leaders in Training (LIT) camp. Held at the Port Hacking Youthworks Conference Centre, the camp is one of three annual camps that provide 1100 young people in years 9-12 with opportunities to further explore their faith and develop leadership skills within their local church and school context.

The atmosphere was buzzing as everyone (350 youth and 70 leaders) gathered for the service. It was wonderful to see so many young people connecting with and encouraging each other – and to also observe all of the hard work that they put into planning and running the night behind the scenes. As part of LIT’s focus on building young people’s capacity for leadership, a group of year 11 and 12 students constructed and led the entire two hour service.

Anglican Youthworks LIT participants perform at the camp service.

Youthworks are also ensuring that they embed inclusivity and accessibility into their programs. They have a separate, sensory room on site that has been curated as a space for neurodivergent participants (both young people and LIT leaders) to engage with the night’s proceedings in a way that is comfortable for them. As an example, the night involves loud music and bright stage lights – so the room includes a live stream of the service, with the option of using headphones to listen in. The set up also modelled to the 70 leaders how they can take demonstrable steps towards inclusion in their local churches. It was so encouraging to see Youthworks’ commitment to inclusion in action.

VFFF Rising Gen members learn how to assemble a bike with TRACTION mentors.

Family philanthropy in action

VFFF’s Queensland-based “Rising Gen” (Sir Vincent’s great grandchildren) gathered in October for an engaging hands-on Bike Build experience at TRACTION, a fabulous organisation that delivers learning and mentoring programs to help young people engage in education. The event, designed to combine fun with purpose, opened with an introduction to VFFF’s commitment to embedding Sir Vincent’s values in everyday life and an overview of the VFFF Grants Committee’s work, including the support provided to TRACTION in July 2022.

Guided by TRACTION’s skilled mentors, the Rising Gen worked in small teams to assemble bikes while learning how the organisation empowers vulnerable young people through practical learning, mentoring, and leadership programs. The afternoon was filled with collaboration, laughter, and a final round of “quality assurance testing” (better known as bike riding) - capping off a meaningful and memorable experience.