ygap Newsletter - September 2019


Note from our CEO

Hello ygap Community!

To date, we have supported 532 impact ventures across Africa, Asia, the Pacific and here in Australia and through them, have positively impacted the lives of close to 1M people experiencing poverty.

Through our work, we learned that one of the root causes of violence against children is poverty.

Tomorrow is the official launch date of our Polished Man Campaign, sixth year running, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work of the team and their efforts.

It is through the commitment of the thousands of Polished Men and Women that we are able to continue to deliver the work that we do and help the most vulnerable members of our community, children.

Show your support by spreading the word, donating and signing up to the Polished Man 2019 Campaign.

From the impact arm of our work, we are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the third First Gens Program. This means 36 refugee and migrant-led social impact ventures have now gone through the program and are growing their impact for the local communities here in Australia. 

This Thursday, 3rd October, we will see the most recent First Gens cohort take the stage and pitch their start-ups, to not only celebrate their progress but also for their chance to win a cash prize on the night. 

I invite you to join us for this inspiring evening held at Goods Shed, Docklands, Victoria, where we will also have a really exciting announcement about the future of the program – RSVP your spot here.  

As always, I thank you for your ongoing support and until next time, we will be right here Backing Local Change. 

Manita Ray 

Support ygap

Together We Can End Violence For Good

We believe in a world where no child suffers from violence, because it shouldn’t hurt to be a child, and we all have the power to change this. 

 

Thanks to your support in 2018 we raised $1,701,764 and were able to channel these funds into trauma prevention and recovery programs for children who are at risk or have suffered violence.

 

Tomorrow is the official launch of Polished Man 2019 – help us make this Polished Man the biggest ever by signing up to polish a nail and take part at www.polishedman.com.

Support Polished Man

You Are Invited to the First Gens Showcase Event

First Gens, as many of you may know, is our program specifically designed to support migrants and refugee-led ventures here in Australia which are creating positive social change for their communities. 

 

You will hear from 12 inspiring social impact entrepreneurs pitch their early-stage ventures and ideas – to not only celebrate their progress but also for the chance to win a cash prize on the night. 

 

These individuals have committed their lives to create the social change they believe is necessary in our world, and we are backing them every step of the way. 

 

In addition to hearing these inspiring stories, we are very grateful and looking forward to having an impressive line-up of speakers taking the stage; Kate Cornick, CEO of LaunchVic, Judy Anderson, CEO of Startup Victoria, Jess Colgan, Director of yimpact, and Usman Iftikhar, CEO of Catalysr.

 

There’ll be plenty of time to network, however, spots filling up fast go ahead and reserve your complimentary seat for a feel-good evening not to be missed

 

RSVP via the link below. 

https://lnkd.in/g7HTcBG


Team Update - yher Pacific Program Manager- Talei Goater


With ancestral roots planted in Fiji, Talei has spent two decades managing multifaceted creative projects across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. 

Her immersion into the region’s social enterprise ecosystem began twelve years ago when she established a community-led textile label and then managed the first Pacific Islands presence at Australia’s Fairtrade Fortnight. 

Advocating profit for purpose ventures, blending traditional commerce, ethical trade and climate-friendly thinking into a stimulating tonic for positive change, Talei’s passion for the development of values-led business is evident in every part of her being. 

We are thrilled to have such a talent on our team to pioneer the yher Pacific Program at such a critical time in the Pacific Islands.


Where are they now?


Jane Khou – Bring Me Home

Problem

It is estimated that in Australia, 44 million tonnes of food are wasted annually, costing approximately $8 – 10 billion per year. When food waste ends up in landfills, it generates large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas more detrimental to the environment than CO2.

It has also been reported that 3.6 million people in Australia have experienced food insecurity in the last 12months. Alarmingly, of the 652,000 people who receive food relief from Food Bank agencies every month, 27% are children. 


Solution 

Bring Me Home is a platform that connects cafes and restaurants that have an excess amount of food, that would otherwise be thrown away, to potential customers who are interested in purchasing food at non-traditional eating times at discounted rates.

Success

Bring Me Home’s founder, Jane Kou, joined the ygap family in May 2018 as a First Gens Program participant when her startup was just an idea under development. ne year later, Bring Me Home has rescued over 2500 meals from going to waste, serving thousands of active users and 100+ participating venues in Melbourne. They were recently listed in SmartCompany as one of the top 10 startups in 2019 and are in the midst of raising $1M to expand their operations and launch in Sydney by the end of the year. 

‘I want to take this opportunity to say – thank you. Thank you for offering your precious time connecting with me, supporting me, and most importantly, for believing in me.” – Jane Kou, founder of Bring Me Home, to the ygap Team. 

For the very first time, Bring Me Home is offering an opportunity for the public to invest in their mission-driven growing venture with an Equity Crowdfunding campaign .  If you are interested in becoming a shareholder of their mission-driven company fighting war on food waste – check it out!

Congratulations to Jane Kou and Bring Me Home – we are looking forward to seeing you pioneer the war on food waste!