It seems apt that I am writing this welcome during the week of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide Report’s release. As we reflect on the findings of the Royal Commission and consider the path forward with the draft National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS), it becomes clear that collaboration and innovation across the sector are more important than ever. I saw the Royal Commission as a mirror reflecting all the many ways in which our sector can do better for at-risk cohorts. The draft NSPS begins to acknowledge this; moving the focus to the prevention of suicidal distress will shift the curve and aid the country in making a significant impact in reducing suicide. Youturn and StandBy Support After Suicide passionately share in this goal with government, sector partners, and the communities we support.

Better whole-of-government strategies that address the many social determinants of mental and physical ill-health and suicidal behaviour will empower community organisations to do the same. Indeed, inspired by what we have seen in New Zealand with the implementation of Service Performance Reporting standards, Youturn’s updated strategic direction has impact measurement at its heart.

Work has begun on centralising all our program output data in a way that better allows us to share stories of outcomes and impact. This non-financial information will be crucial for accountability and decision-making as Youturn continues to grow. The Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission is considering making some of this reporting mandatory as part of the Annual Information Statement processes, which is evidence of whole-of-sector progress and engagement.

In many ways, this last year has been a watershed year for Youturn. In September 2023, we welcomed James Blevin as our CEO. James’ background as a leader in global professional services firms is seen as critical, as Youturn brings heightened rigour to its governance, financial accountability, and stakeholder engagement. With James’ experience, a strong skills mix in our Executive, and an engaged staff, we believe Youturn is ideally placed to meet the challenges of change and transformation in an era of looming reform.

At Youturn’s whole of organisation conference held in May, we heard from Sue Scheinpflug, Youturn’s CEO from July 1997 through December 2011. In sharing many of Youturn’s program origin stories, Sue invited collective reflection among our attending board members. She reminded us of the importance of tailored, community-based action focused on unmet needs. And that, if co-designed and nurtured, these interventions might one day become nationally significant.

I know that each member of our staff thinks in this way about their own community. On behalf of the board, thank you for your passion, selflessness, and commitment to the important work you do daily.

Finally, I would like to thank Youturn’s diligent leadership team and board members for their support, wisdom, and advocacy for Youturn’s vision to be trusted to create safe, inclusive, and supportive communities.

Stronger Together. In reflecting on the theme of this year’s annual report, I’m invited to recall a favourite proverb of my birth country: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

During Youturn’s employee conference, All of You, hosted in May, I talked about the importance of perspective. Although Australians are enduring one of the most gruelling cost-of-living crises in history, there is still cause to be optimistic. Though there are significant structural problems for our country to overcome, we still have access to universal healthcare, education, justice, and democracy. Still, it’s important that we and the legislators we elect do not become complacent. For you could argue that it’s complacency that’s allowed Australia’s housing crisis to manifest and entangle itself with every part of the community fabric.

For Youturn, we are beginning to ask a simple question when evaluating new ideas: Will it have an impact?
What is impact, you ask? Youturn’s vision is to be trusted to create safe, inclusive, and supportive communities. A community’s first responders are often neighbours, family, friends, and other formal support networks such as sporting, volunteering, and community groups. Yet, as costs and technological disruption bite, we see these bastions of what it means to be human being eroded. Without support, without community, one cannot cope. It’s almost tragic that it’s at this point that the state, either directly or through an NGO like Youturn, intervenes. We could have helped sooner. Indeed, so could have the community. As a society, we are beginning to realise this, with the desire for better public health outcomes becoming omnipresent.

And thus, prevention and early intervention are at the heart of Youturn’s new strategic direction. Whilst we will always support people in their times of need, we aim for community to become a person’s first port of call. This, I believe, is at the heart of Stronger Together.

Youturn’s new strategic direction focuses on five core domains: People, Systems, Data, Diversification, and Thought Leadership. While we socialise this new strategic direction with stakeholders, our focus continues to be on service excellence, our people, and impact growth.

In the 2024 financial year, the number of people Youturn supported increased 18% to 19,170. This growth is more than reflected in our financial performance, with revenues increasing 29% to $45 million. Youturn’s net asset position is now in excess of $10 million, an ideal foundation from which to launch the company’s new strategy in July of 2025, which may call for investment in prevention-focused, unfunded community needs.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the communities in which we operate for their fervour and advocacy. Youturn could not provide individualised support without the input, counsel, and support of partner organisations, families, schools, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, and others.

Our welcomes to Adelaide and Darwin have been warm, and there is genuine excitement in Youturn’s leadership team to embed in these eclectic and proud regions of Australia. In Western Australia, as we have begun to share meaningful demand data with state authorities, we have seen their response through additional funding. This kind of collaboration is why we all do this work.

I would also like to thank Youturn’s Patron, Clare Stewart, who, in her tenure as Noosa Mayor, championed Youturn’s work and supported the evolution of the Tewantin site into a community centre for those in need.

Thank you to our Chair, Mitchell Evans, and his fellow directors, all of whom share in our vision to be trusted to create safe, inclusive, and supportive communities. I am grateful for their acuity, insights, and commitment to our cause.

Finally, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the entire Youturn team – the Executive, Senior Leadership, staff, and our selfless volunteers. In 1989, we supported six young people as they experienced homelessness. In 2024, this figure was exponentially higher, but I’m glad that we are beginning to contemplate how we might be a small part of an all-of-sector approach that sees less and less Australians requiring our services.