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.’

We seek to fulfil our purpose “The Purpose of Youthrive Victoria is to equip rural students pursuing further education with the capacity to lead and strengthen their communities,” 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 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.  

2021 saw the first iteration of the Branch Out Mentoring program successfully piloted at Brauer College Warrnambool. 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, the employment of five Rural Youth 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.

Our Beliefs

At Youthrive Victoria we believe in: Collaborating with partners, donors, communities, and alumni to provide programs for young rural Victorians, so rural communities will thrive through their skilled, resilient, and engaged young people.

Investing in and celebrating young rural people so that, when empowered, they will have a long-term positive influence in their communities.