Guest Speaker Simone Butler spoke about her passion and efforts in….Supporting today’s youth to Live Independently for Today and  Tomorrow!

The Vision: My vision is to create a safe and private hub for Kids/ Youth/Young Adults to be guided with the correct tools and give them Life skills to Transition into the Real World. Since technology is the key to the future. I am creating this Website to support Youth/Young Adults to give them the ability to perceive their value in our Society and Self Worth. Social Media needs to be Positive Tool. The website will be able to provide individual paths for specific areas.

The Plan: To create a national youth online skills hub targeting 12-25 year olds available in all secondary schools and universities Australia wide.

How?: Since April 2017, I have been working on a website that aims to encompass various support material for a range of potential challenges that the youth of today face. The content, in the form of engaging videos, over 300 website links and more, is intended to assist and advise our youth to live independently for today and tomorrow, recognising that not all life skills, educational and emotional support come from families and schools. Subjects ranging from mental health, addictions, self development, employment, and financial guidance to how-to change a car tyre, this website caters for all aspects of interest of the emerging teen to help them on their journey through life, equipping them with the necessary information or at least directing them on where to find it. The website will integrate across several digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Mobile APP. Youth will be able to login using their own username and password securely and access their own personalized user profiles – whilst parents will have access to a support forum. The website will be tested through August/September 2018 at a number of schools on the border with its successes/challenges addressed at the end of the piloting phase.

Why?: Having four children of my own, I discovered a real gap in the support and education for many teenagers. So many feel isolated, unsupported and suffer a real lack of direction because they do not feel in control of their future. The Australian Education System does not seem to adequately provide our youth with the necessary skills to emerge confidently into the ‘real world.’ I want to change that – or at least better equip youth to have the confidence to be independent and plan for their futures. There are many teenagers that have No direction in their later years of High school or when the finish school or university. So many feel unsupported & disconnected because they have No vision for their future. Mental health is now also the number one national concern for young people in Australia, according to Mission Australia’s annual Youth Survey 2017 – Quoted by https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/mental-health-biggest-issue-for-youth  I am determined to provide an avenue that aims to support, encourage, and direct youth to right content in times of need, this website will help to do that.

Future Vision: Website to go Global 2020. Build a Homeless Youth Shelter in Albury/Wodonga 2022

Guest Spealer Finlay Campbell is a Year 10 Student at Trinity Anglican College. At the age of 14, he launched an online music streaming platform startup Defani One, with his mate Thomas Summerfield. In June this year, he was awarded my 1st Dan Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate. Earlier this year he applied, and was accepted to join Crimson Education’s STEM Accelerator Tour (Young Innovators Delegation) to the United States of America alongside 8 likeminded students aged 15 – 18 from around the world. The tour gave him the opportunity to visit the headquarters of some of the world’s leading organisations, such as Twitter, Facebook and Salesforce, as well as an insight to a selection of the world’s top universities including Stanford, UCLA, University of California Berkley and California Institute of Technology

Guest Speaker David Hammersley is a voluntary pilot for Angel Flight. He is based in Khancoban NSW. Angel Flight is a charity which coordinates non-emergency flights to assist country people to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable to them because of vast distance and high travel costs. All flights are free and may involve travel to medical facilities anywhere in Australia. David is a semi-retired  diesel motor mechanic involving fleets of buses and coaches in Sydney, Parkes and the Gold Coast , he spent his younger days as a mechanic  on Rolls Royce Jaguars and Range Rovers vehicles …  David currently lives in  Khancoban with his wife, son and three grandchildren.  My wife and I had a son and daughter … unfortunately our daughter, after fighting cancer for seven years,  did not survive. Their daughter has downs-syndrome and is cared for by our son.  My wife and I are involved with the local community, RFS, the local nursing home and community driving and the local Baptist Church, also doing Scenic flights over the mountains as well Angel Flights.