News
Out and About
The VFFF team loves getting out and about to see our granting 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.
Showcasing young people in Queensland’s art sector
Regional performing arts venues in Queensland have regularly reported their difficulties recruiting, training and retaining skilled production team members, critical to delivering the work of lighting, sound and set transitions for performances. VFFF are in the third year of funding Tech Connect Queensland, a program providing qualifications through traineeships for young people as an employment pathway into performing arts venues across Queensland, including a Certificate III in Live Production and Technical Services. The first two years has seen 28 young people participate in the program, from 21 arts venues across the state.
The program is creating a stir in the sector across the nation, with much interest from state peak bodies enquiring about how to replicate the program in their own states, as well as from arts venues wanting to know how to have their own young employees participating.
In response, the Tech Connect QLD program partners (Arts Centre Melbourne, Stage Queensland and Queensland Performing Arts Centre, QPAC) hosted the Tech Connect QLD Showcase at QPAC in July. This event gave stakeholders from across the arts sector, funders and government the opportunity to hear from the young trainees themselves, see their training in action and hear about the importance of sustaining (and replicating) the program into the future.
VFFF’s Foundation Manger, Claire Mannion, participated in a panel discussion to share why VFFF was compelled to invest in this important work, “First and foremost, VFFF's support for this program is about the opportunity it provides for young people, an opportunity to earn while you learn. This program set out to fill a significant skills gap in the arts sector whilst focusing on engaging the next generation of technicians, particularly in rural and regional communities,” said Claire.
See here for a short clip of the Tech Connect QLD Showcase event.
Young Innovators: Insights from the Young Change Agents Impact Report Launch
In August, Lynn Anderson (Senior Program Manager) and Ellie Hewitt (Program Manager) attended the launch of Young Change Agents (YCA) Impact Report. YCA aims to make it easy for schools and teachers to introduce and embed entrepreneurial learning and design thinking into their students learning across Australia. In 2022, VFFF provided funding to enhance YCA's capacity for measuring its impact, and it was inspiring to witness the outcomes of this initiative.
The event featured a dynamic panel of young entrepreneurs and educators, a premiere of a film series, and an in-depth exploration of the evaluation findings.
Some highlights from the Impact Report are:
• Students: Participants reported a 24% increase in entrepreneurial capability, a 13% rise in financial wellbeing, and an 11% improvement in project management and citizenship skills.
• Educators: YCA training and support led to a 55% improvement in understanding student learning, a 53% increase in content knowledge, and a 45% boost in teaching effectiveness.
This impressive data captured within the Impact Report is testament to the highly effective work YCA is doing, and VFFF is proud to support such an impactful organisation.
The legacy of Sir Vincent and Lady Nancy lives on
As the flagship vehicle for the family's philanthropy, VFFF plays a special role for the descendants of Sir Vincent and Lady Nancy Fairfax. Family members strive to honour the legacy of Sir Vincent and Lady Nancy and VFFF is always on the lookout for ways for the family to participate in and shape VFFF's work.
The 43 great-grandchildren of Sir Vincent and Lady Nancy make up the “Rising Generation”. Given VFFF's goal to continue to be a thriving multi-generational family foundation for many years to come, engaging the Rising Generation in VFFF's work and the family's philanthropic legacy is a particular focus.
Recently this group visited both the Girls and Boys Brigade (GBB) in Surry Hills, NSW and the Youth Enterprise Trust’s Woodstock Farm in Logan, QLD.
The Fairfax family has been associated with the Girls & Boys Brigade since it was established in 1882 by Sir James Fairfax, grandfather of Vincent Fairfax. Today, the GBB takes a holistic approach to supporting young people in the Surry Hills area in Sydney. Its recreation, education and life skills programs assist participants who experience various social, financial and educational disadvantage. The Rising Generation of the Fairfax family were able to learn about this rich history of the GBB and see the work in action by participating in one of their school holiday programs.
In September, three generations of the family visited Woodstock Farm in Logan QLD, where the Youth Enterprise Trust (YET) team shared their story about the important work they do to engage disadvantaged young people and support them into meaningful career pathways. Together they toured the farm, saw plenty of animals and planted trees as a part of YETs Koala Restoration Program (where they plant up to 10,000 trees per year!).
The family values these opportunities to ensure the legacy of Sir Vincent and Lady Nancy lives on well into the future.
Recognising inspiring achievements of young people
So many inspiring young people to recognise at the 2024 NSW Training Awards, held in September at Sydney Town Hall! Training Services NSW (part of the NSW Department of Education) present these awards to recognise and reward excellence and outstanding achievements in vocational education and training from across the state.
VFFF was there on the night to support our fantastic grant partner Australian Training Company (ATC), who along with Dairy NSW, were deserving finalists in the Industry Collaboration Award category. The 'South Coast NSW Youth in Agriculture' program, supported by VFFF, empowers young people to find a career pathway in agriculture.
Removing financial barriers for jobseekers and tailoring training delivery, ‘South Coast NSW Youth in Agriculture’ has created an environment for everyone, regardless of their background, to learn about agricultural best practice and find career fulfilment within the industry. Delivered through a School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SBAT) model, the program combines paid work on farms and training whilst at school; as well as an industry recognised national qualification and credit towards the HSC.
The program encourages local young people to pursue the agricultural career opportunities available in the region, whilst also helping fill the unmet demand for workers from the local agriculture industry.
Read more about the program and meet one of the inspiring participants, Mitch Shipton, here.
Celebrating a Decade of Impact: The Social Outfit’s 10th Birthday Party
Just last week, the VFFF team had the pleasure of attending The Social Outfit’s 10th birthday celebration, an inspiring evening dedicated to community and socially responsible fashion.
Founded with a mission to empower refugee women, The Social Outfit creatively reuses donated fabrics from Australian brands, establishing a self-sufficient circular fashion model. Over the past decade, they have trained over 1,000 refugees and new migrants, providing employment for more than 100 individuals. Remarkably, for 82% of these employees, The Social Outfit was their first job in Australia.
VFFF are immensely proud of The Social Outfit's achievements. Founded with a focus on social impact over commercial gain, The Social Outfit has grown with the support of various partners, including VFFF, one of their earliest supporters since November 2013.
VFFF extend our congratulations to the entire team and in particular, former CEO, Camilla Schippa and Chair, David Hardie, and look forward to their continued success in the years to come!
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