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About Youthrive Victoria

The Rural Foundation (A Legacy of Helen Macpherson Smith), trading as Youthrive Victoria, has a vision that Victorian regional and rural communities will be thriving with strong input from skilled, resilient and motivated young people.

Formerly known as Macpherson Smith Rural Foundation (MSRF), Youthrive Victoria was created in 2008 with an establishment grant of $5 Million from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust (HMSTrust), an independent philanthropic trust created by the late Helen Macpherson Schutt (nee Smith).  This visionary grant, the biggest ever given by HMSTrust, is now honoured in the use of the tagline ‘A legacy of Helen Macpherson Smith.’

Our mission is to collaborate with partners, donors, communities, and alumni to deliver services that empower young rural Victorians, fostering their personal, professional, and leadership capabilities.

We seek to fulfil our purpose “To strengthen rural communities and supporting young people to be leaders” by delivering a range of contemporary services & programs tailored to the needs and expectations of rural communities.

In 2011 MSRF awarded its first scholarships to support young rural people going to university. The mentoring program was established in the same year and the Young Rural Leaders program was first held in 2012. In 2015 the Chris and Marli Tilley Stawell Scholarship was established. In 2016 the Dream Seeds® program for Year 6 students was developed and the Alumni Committee was elected. In 2017 Rural Chances vocational scholarships were introduced. The Community Leader Scholarships and Wrap Around Care packages were developed in 2018.

In 2018 MSRF celebrated a decade of supporting young rural Victorians through scholarships, mentoring, leadership development and community connections. In 2019, to mark the new decade, new directions and independence, MSRF became Youthrive Victoria. The company name is The Rural Foundation Ltd.

2019 saw Youthrive Victoria Alumni members Nick Young, Jackie Cooper, Molly Copeland, Laura Bland and others conceptualise the Branch Out Mentoring program to support rural students in Year 11 and 12.  

In 2020, the Rural Youth Network was developed to create a new blended type of community, where rural young people can have the best of their local communities and social networks combined with online support and opportunities that can be provided by extensive online connections. 

2021 saw the first iteration of the Branch Out Mentoring program successfully piloted at Brauer College Warrnambool. Dream Seeds and Young Rural Leaders Programs were run online as a result of COVID-19 challenges, though the participants still gained great value from the experiences. 

Stepping into 2022, Youthrive Victoria’s Rural Youth Network has grown to over 300 online members. The employment of five RYN Engagement Leaders through funding from H & L Hecht Trust and VicHealth greatly assisted us with our goals of engaging young people through our varying programs. 

In 2023, over 5000 young people were engaged in in-person events with the help of our team of Rural Engagement Leaders, and more than 20 schools were engaged through Branch Out Mentoring.  

What is Unique about Youthrive Victoria

  • We focus on transitions (secondary/tertiary and primary/secondary) and education and employment outcomes for rural/regional young Victorians.
  • We know that it is more than money that helps young people achieve so we offer ‘wrap around care’ in the form of mentoring, leadership development and social connections.
  • We have a large alumni group whose members have practical hands-on leadership experiences and opportunities to co-design our programs and activities.
  • We are an organisation with exceptional mentoring knowledge based on research and evidence.

     

Our Values

Youthrive Victoria is distinguished by the following beliefs, principles and behaviours:

  • We support rural and regional communities through all our activities
  • We empower young people by providing opportunities and connections
  • We respect individuals, communities and the environment
  • We build strong partnerships with individuals, communities and organisations
  • We facilitate the use of technology to tackle long term issues in new ways
  • We research purposefully and strategically in partnership with others
  • We collaborate creatively and imaginatively to achieve our mission
  • We ensure environmental sustainability in everything we do and promote

Strategic Directions

LEARN

  • Through scholarships, programs and ‘wrap around care’.
  • Maximise the impact of learning opportunities for rural young people.

LEAD

  • Future leaders and change-makers.
  • Grow leadership development opportunities for rural young people, and be a leading organisation in our sector.

CONNECT

  • People and Communities.
  • Connect rural young people with one another, their communities and their supporters.

INVEST

  • Social Investment Partners.
  • Build social investor partnerships that support rural young people and connect rural communities.

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