What is Lead On?

Lead On is a program that builds the capacity of a community through the development of young people and has been purpose-built to incorporate all sections of the community and to provide exposure for young people to real-life projects and community activities. The projects undertaken are diverse in nature and emanate from the local community and engage a broad cross section of people from business and community organisations representing and embracing business, education, local government, health & welfare, new innovations, new enterprises etc and all projects seek to enhance whole-of-community outcomes.

Young people are the key clientele and Lead On’s strength is that we welcome (and attract) young people from the entire youth sector and find ways to engage them with older people from the community. All Lead On projects and activities aim to integrate young people into the community, not segregate them or have them work in youth based silos. Lead On brings young people from diverse backgrounds together to work in real life projects and activities that will introduce them to older people from the community (particularly the business community).

The Model

Lead On Australia is a community building model – or community enterprise structure - designed to enable young people to engage and become involved in real life business and community activities with a dual objective to develop and broaden the range of skills and experiences for the young person and to involve older people and expose them to the value and role of young people in a community.

Vital elements of the Lead On model are that –

• Youth Governance - Young people determine the relevance and value of each project Lead On undertake – this happens through the Youth Advisory Board structure at each Lead On centre. This helps ensure relevance and value for young participants.
• Community Ownership – Local Lead On centres are driven by the community and funded by the community. While Government funding can act as a catalyst, ultimately the community will fund and own the program. This helps ensure each community can determine what is important and valuable for it and its young people.
• Integration & Diversity – young people from diverse backgrounds. Too many youth focussed activities target one group of young people to satisfy funding bodies. The Lead On model targets young people from all sectors of the community – this approach sees young people from diverse backgrounds working together as part of project teams. These are first steps toward integrating the community and celebrating diversity.
• Mentoring & Role Models – Lead On develops mentors and role models for the young participants through the real-life projects and activity. These relationships develop organically and based around mutual interest and an outcome based approach. We aim to avoid ‘contrived’ or structured mentor programs.

In brief, the Lead On Australia model is about gathering a diverse group of young people, developing a diverse range of real-life projects from the broader community (with an emphasis on the business community) and facilitating the outcomes. It is the activity and relationships from the activity that builds the connections and skills and confidence for the young people.

Lead On by Numbers

While numbers are one thing – the most important aspect of the numbers, growth and demand for the Lead On model and approach is that it has been driven by communities seeking better and more innovative ways of developing their young people and engaging them in community activity.

Lead On Australia was established in Bendigo in late 1999 (as a result of community leaders seeking new ways of connecting and engaging young people and building more sustainable futures for regional areas) and by mid 2005, more than 3000 young people have participated in over 600 real-life projects of varying types and through the 13 Lead On sites now established across Australia. In hours of community involvement, volunteering, up skilling and personal development, this equates to approximately 70,000 hours where these young people have been doing something to help both themselves and their community.

More than 200 of these young people have gained employment as a direct result of their Lead On participation and hundreds more found new mentors and role models from their communities and been exposed to what is possible in their community.

Further details of the diversity of Lead On projects, participants, outcomes, activities and locations of Lead On centres can be accessed at LeadOn.com.au

Lead On by Numbers

While numbers are one thing – the most important aspect of the growth and demand for the Lead On model is that it has been driven by communities seeking better and more innovative ways of developing their young people and engaging them in community activity.

Lead On Australia was established in Bendigo in July 1999 (as a result of community leaders seeking new ways of connecting and engaging young people and building more sustainable futures for regional areas) and by mid 2006, almost 4000 young people have participated in over 800 real-life projects of varying types and through the 14 Lead On sites and 5 “outreach” operations now established across Australia.

In hours of community involvement, volunteering, up-skilling and personal development, this can equate to 100,000 hours where these young people have been doing something to help both themselves and their community.

More than 200 of these young people have gained employment as a direct result of their Lead On participation and hundreds more found new mentors and role models from their communities and been exposed to what is possible in their community.

Further details of the diversity of Lead On projects, participants, outcomes, activities and locations of Lead On centres can be accessed in this web site. 

Lead On Australia – a snapshot of numbers

• Almost 4000 young people have now actively participated in Lead On facilitated projects or programs.

• These projects have exposed young people to their community – how it works, what is possible in it and what they can achieve.

• Offices have opened in 14 communities across Australia. In Victoria, Lead On operates full sites in the communities of Bendigo, Ballarat, Echuca/Moama, Swan Hill and Maryborough and “outreach-partnerships” in Moonee Valley, Mount Evelyn and Mildura and in Queensland, Ipswich, Cairns, Noosa, Beaudesert, Townsville and Toowoomba, Hobart (Tasmania), Griffith (NSW) and in Western Australia at Bayswater and is delivering outreach programs into Kalamunda WA and the Cradle Coast region of Tasmania.

• More than 200 young people have gained employment as a direct result of their Lead On involvement. Others have now established their own businesses and many “older young” people are remaining involved as mentors in Lead On.

• A survey of young participants states “growth in self confidence” and “feeling better about myself and my community” as the key outcomes and benefits from their Lead On experiences.

Lead On Product Development - Outreach

Unfortunately we can’t establish a Lead On operation in every community that has approached us. What we have been doing is developing program or products that encapsulate the Lead On Australia philosophy and approach that can be delivered in different ways. Some of these initiatives are -

• Community Door – a program that places young people on local boards and committees. In simple terms it is a process and approach for getting young people onto local boards and committees to build their skills, community awareness and new connections. The Bendigo Community Door program placed more than 40 young people onto local committee and board tables. This a succession strategy for many of these groups. Community Door is currently being implemented into other communities and is a way to bring the basic philosophies of Lead On to smaller communities and is a method of getting more young people involved with significant community activity.

• The LOOP newspaper supplement where young people write, design and edit a newspaper section is another way of engaging young people and growing their skills. Loop is now operating in the Moonee Valley area of metropolitan Melbourne as another example of outreach and bringing the Lead On model to more communities. In the West Australian community of Kalamunda, they have adopted the Loop philosophy to engage young people in the production of a new community newspaper called “Community Matters” and is another example of working in collaboration with local people and involving young people with the broader business community.

• Friends of Lead On – The Lead On model provides opportunities for older people from the business community to take active roles in mentoring and assisting young people by sharing their business experience. The older people provide their knowledge and the young people meet people who can assist them in their transition into the work place. This mentoring approach that sees young people being mentored by business and community leaders through real-life projects and activity that requires a genuine partnership between the younger and older person. The real-life activity (project) is the basis for the relationship and provides the opportunities for the mentor and the young person to work through issues that are relevant and is not a ‘contrived’ mentoring approach.