The team at Youth Solutions are passionate about providing health promotion and harm prevention services that are inclusive, culturally appropriate and serve the needs of young people in the Macarthur and Wingecarribee regions of NSW.
Each member of the team brings their own unique set of skills and expertise, and as a collective, are dedicated to preventing and reducing alcohol and other drug related harm among young people in the community.
Qualifications
Geraldine joined the Youth Solutions team in 2003 and prior to her CEO position has held project coordination, communications, promotions and community relations roles at Youth Solutions.
The role of the Chief Executive Officer is to ensure that the mission and vision of Youth Solutions is inspired by and achieved through effective leadership. Geraldine oversees the implementation of the Strategic and Operational Plan, is responsible for people and culture, governance and compliance, general management of operations as well as guiding the overall delivery of services and programs.
Geraldine has extensive experience in human resource management, project management and media management, developing and implementing community development initiatives and events, website development and maintenance, coordinating internal and external communications and working alongside and developing relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders. Geraldine has also had the opportunity to work internationally as part of a sister city exchange program in Japan.
Geraldine is a champion of and displays a commitment to quality improvement and high professional standards. In 2018, Youth Solutions was again accredited at the Certificate level of Australian Services Excellence Standards.
Geraldine has a solid track record in volunteering for her local community and in a variety of capacities. Elected positions have included President and Director of a community childcare centre and Treasurer for a local junior rugby league football club. Geraldine currently sits as a Director of a well-respected disability service.
During her time as CEO, Geraldine has had the pleasure of leading the Service to achieve key milestones. Youth Solutions has received a number of awards which recognise the commitment to and the work towards improving the health and wellbeing of the local community.
In addition to these awards, Geraldine has been recognised on an individual level by being awarded the 2016 NSW Local Woman of the Year for Campbelltown.
Qualifications
Emily joined the Youth Solutions team in January 2018 and in her role as Manager Strategy & Design | Research Fellow works to ensure that Youth Solutions’ programs are informed by good practices, appropriately evaluated and cater for the needs of young people in the region.
Emily leads Youth Solutions’ qualitative research program and oversees the services’ Academic Advisory Group, which has been established to connect not-for-profit community work with leading public health research professionals. Prior to her role with Youth Solutions, Emily formed part of a research team at Deakin University (Melbourne) concerned with preventing gambling harm among young men, and has worked at UoW’s Wellbeing Referral Centre, which functioned as a mental health hub for university students. Emily is passionate about advocacy and the basic right for all individuals to have access to the resources and support they need to make healthy life choices.
Qualifications
Amanda has a background in media and communications with skills in journalism, social media management, website management and community engagement.
Prior to joining the Youth Solutions team in June 2014, Amanda was the Senior Reporter at the Macarthur Chronicle newspaper. Amanda is a passionate member of the Macarthur community and has supported a range of local community events including Relay for Life, Lifeline Macarthur and the 2015 Max Potential program. In 2015, Amanda was named as a finalist for ZEST’s ‘Outstanding Youth Leader of the Year’ (12 – 25 years).
Qualifications
Sam joined the Youth Solutions team in January 2018 and currently holds the position of Manager Programs. Sam oversees the development and implementation of the DAIR project (Drug and Alcohol Information and Resilience Skills) and the PEEP project (Peer Enrichment and Empowerment Project).
Sam also provides mentoring to young people in Youth Solutions’ Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Prior to her role with Youth Solutions, Sam worked at PCYC South Sydney as a Youth Activities Officer and at Go4Fun as an Exercise and Nutrition Leader. Sam is passionate about working with young people within the Macarthur and Wingecarribee area to support and empower them to make safe and healthy lifestyle choices.
Qualifications
Bri joined the Youth Solutions team in April 2022 and currently holds the position of Administration, Marketing & Events Officer. Bri has always had a distinct interest in mental health and human rights.
Bri is an advocate for mental health and has assisted in coordinating fundraisers to support mental health organisations and charities. Her past experiences in marketing, combined with her legal and administrative knowledge has seen her embrace this role with an organisation that closely aligns with her values.
Qualifications
Lauren joined the team in 2023 as our Health Promotion Officer & Educator, building on her extensive experience as a secondary teacher.
With her strong teaching experience and passion for health education and community development work, Lauren plays a key role in the delivery of Youth Solutions’ drug and alcohol education programs.
Away from the office, Lauren enjoys all things outdoors, travel, country music and a great cup of tea.
Jess joined the team in 2023 as our Finance Administration Lead, playing a key role in the coordination of Youth Solutions’ finance and business administration systems.
Jess has an extensive background in bookkeeping and finance and is passionate about community and youth health.
Away from the office you will find Jess spending time with her family or within the CrossFit community.
Qualifications
Vera is our fabulous Office Volunteer at Youth Solutions. Most of her life has been in the print media as a journalist, sub-editor and editor. More recently, Vera ventured into the world of multi-media journalism, working across print, digital and social media platforms.
Vera is a busy lady! Between work, her vast array of hobbies, and juggling Mum/Nonna life, Vera has a lot on her plate. However, she always makes time to pop into the office once a week for 3 hours to do some seriously amazing work for us.
Vera feels as though she gets more from Youth Solutions than she gives. Vera is now more aware of the issues that her children, grandchildren and their peers have and will face throughout their lives and how they can get support if they need it.
Our team is growing and we are on the hunt for a Health Promotion Officer & Educator!
More infoPosted on 26th July 2023
Read More
