We are excited and proud to share our 2024 Community Impact Report.
Thank you to everyone who has connected with the Y this year for their ongoing support and commitment to children, young people, and communities in the Northern Territory.
A message from CEO Emma Bunting and outgoing President Gaurav Sareen
On behalf of the Y Northern Territory Board and all of our Y Team, we are proud to share with you some of the amazing stories, highlights and achievements from our past year.
It has been a year of challenge and change with new leadership across the organisation, paired with the excitement of expansion and growth. The year was met with determination and courage from all, and a strong commitment to work together and uphold our values of care, honesty, responsibility and respect.
We have much to celebrate and are very proud of what we have achieved and the impact we’ve had on children, young people and communities.
The Y is delighted to continue our partnership with the City of Darwin, following the successful tender to manage Nightcliff Swimming Pool, Parap Swimming Pool, and the newly redeveloped Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
Our Remote Pools Project has more than doubled, growing to seven remote community pools in 2024. While Ltyentye Apurte Pool and Utju Pool go from strength to strength, building capacity in the local community to operate the pools safely themselves, we are privileged to be working alongside local community in Wadeye, Lajamanu, Yuendumu, Ngukurr and Borroloola.
The Y Accommodation team has been focussed on a variety of infrastructure improvements including a revitalised guest reception, accessible bathrooms, and additional office space to assist the growth in the support services team. These improvements were supported by the Northern Territory Community Benefit Fund and our reinvestment into Y facilities and are all due for completion before December 2025. We are deeply committed to ensuring that the Y Accommodation continues to support vulnerable adults at risk of homelessness and providing a safe, affordable, welcoming place to call home.
Our Youth Services continue to support young Territorians through mentoring services, safe spaces and drop-in centres, and engaging activities. Looking to the future, we’re very pleased that our Back2School program supporting young people in Palmerston has secured two more years of funding through the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
Our second annual Youth Parliament was a success, also launching the Northern Territory’s very first Youth Press Gallery with support and collaboration from Youth Voice NT, Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association, and ICTV.
The continued support and investment in our services, from philanthropists and funding bodies, is wonderful to see. We are particularly thankful for new and renewed support from the Ian Potter Foundation, The Phillips Foundation, Northern Territory Government, and the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
Strengthening our back-end support services capability and executive team has been a core focus for FY24, which will continue into FY25. This work is critical, to best support our operational teams, our customers and the communities we serve across the Territory, and to ensure strong foundations for the success and future sustainability of the Y Northern Territory.
As a contemporary organisation focussed on the future, this year we launched a new Intranet and Knowledge Hub for staff, and a modern new corporate website. We are solidifying our cybersecurity capability, and strengthening our community’s voice at all levels, including our governance.
We are thrilled to have launched our new Strategic Plan FY25-FY27 at workshops across the Territory, outlining our vision for a better world, with and for young people.
A vision only made possible due to the thousands of Territorians who trust our services, almost 500 staff and volunteers who deliver our services with care and passion, our leadership team and volunteer Board, our valued partners, funders and supporters.
We are truly grateful for the continuous support from our Board, staff, volunteers, partners, and communities we work with. Their dedication is unwavering, and it is evident in everything that we do at the Y Northern Territory.
We extend our gratitude to our former CEOs Matt Feutrill and Susannah Le Bron for their passion and leadership and look forward to focussing on our bright future ahead.
Thank you for supporting us in 2024.
Together, let’s keep building a better world with, and for children and young people. For when you ignite hope, optimism and belief, the impact is profound, on the trajectory of their lives, on the lives of those around them and across our communities.
Gaurav and Emma
