Story

SpeakOut was established in 1995 to address issues of self-worth, poverty, homelessness and unemployment among young people.

The business and social model involved encouraging young people to participate in and organise their own creative enterprises in a socially responsible manner.

The model and focus has broadened and developed over the past 12 years however the central goal of addressing issues of disadvantage in creative and innovative ways still remains.

A fashionable existence

With start-up funding from The Body Shop, SpeakOut commenced operations in Marrickville, Sydney as a youth-focussed social enterprise seeking to support disadvantaged young people with opportunities to work and become independent.

Staffed by a small team of committed professionals and up to 20 young people, the enterprise focus was t-shirt design and production. Over a 12 month period SpeakOut grew into a fashion label designed by young people, for young people.

In 1998 SpeakOut received a one-off grant from the Commonwealth Department of Employment Training and Youth Affairs under the "New work opportunities scheme" for the purpose of assisting young people to learn the business principles associated with conducting a successful business. The grant provided $12,000 per participant for 20 people over a two-year period. SpeakOut itself provided ongoing funding through the sales of clothing to retailers, including Levis and General Pants Co.

Designing a new beginning

In 2000, with the implementation of GST, changes to import and excise taxes and significant staff changes, it became too cost prohibitive for SpeakOut to operate an on-shore clothing production label. Over the next 2 years, SpeakOut went through a process of reinventing itself, relocating to Brisbane and shifting its enterprise focus to graphic design and multimedia.

Supported by the Foundation for Young Australians and the Queensland Department of employment and Training, SpeakOut re-opened it's doors in 2002.

A registered charity and public benevolent institution, SpeakOut finalised the framework for and successfully delivered the pilot Digital Literacy and Visual Design program for 23 young people experiencing disadvantage. This program then identified 11 young people to participate in a 12 month full-time multimedia traineeship. The model was publicly acknowledged, by State Government Departments and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, as significant and an unprecedented success.

Growing the vision

In the 2003/2004 financial year SpeakOut saw notable expansion in several key operational areas, starting with human resources. The organisation looked to expand its senior staff base as a way of supporting the growing number of trainees and commercial projects being undertaken.

On 6 November 2003, SpeakOut held the official launch of its national headquarters in Brisbane, Australia. This launch coincided with the graduation of its first group of trainees who achieved a 100% success rate by obtaining placements in either full-time employment and/or further training at university and TAFE institutions.

The ongoing success of SpeakOut's Creative Pathways and Traineeship programs resulted in a 3 year funding partnership (2004 – 2007) with the Department of Employment and Training to employ a total of 60 trainees.

The next significant initiative undertaken by the organisation was to expand into Logan City, with the development and commencement of the SpeakOut Logan office. Situated some 30 kilometers south of Brisbane, Logan was identified as the most suitable location for the first off-site branch of the organisation primarily due to the enormous social needs of young people within that region. Statistically, almost half the population of Logan is under 25 years and over 160 different cultures are represented.

The successful launch of Logan and the new partnership with the Department of Employment and Training resulted in SpeakOut doubling its annual commitment to the support of young people, increasing the intake into the Creative Pathways program to 40 individuals (24 Brisbane, 16 Logan) and its traineeship intake to 20 trainees (12 Brisbane, 8 Logan).

Time to review and re-brand

With its expansion program well underway and new training scheme developed, SpeakOut decided to re-evaluate the organisation’s brand and operational structure. In 2005, SpeakOut identified 3 key enterprises within the organisation and rolled-out SpeakOut Foundation, SpeakOut Community and SpeakOut Creative.

This has been further refined wih SpeakOut Foundation becoming the fundraising and partnership development arm of the organisation and the further development of three profit-for-purpose enterprises – SpeakOut Connect, SpeakOut Creative and SpeakOut Digital.

Despite the developments and changes in direction, the organisation’s 'reason for being' has essentially remained the same (even though the words to describe it have changed) - equipping and empowering young people and their communities to bridge social, economic and cultural divides.