Email Us
About Us
Board profiles
YACVic's Board of Governance for 2009-10 is comprised of ten members, including five young people. Their profiles are listed below.
Lucas Ryan (Chairperson)
Lucas is an undergraduate student at the University of Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Arts majoring in political science and criminology. Having joined YACVic in 2006, Lucas has served three terms on the Youth Reference Group and has played an active role in organising their projects over these years. In 2008 Lucas was elected to be YACVic's Young Media Spokesperson and became the Chairperson in 2009.
Lucas was appointed as the National Youth Week 2008 Young Member for Victoria and the 2009 Young Member for Australia. In these roles Lucas has represented the interests of young Australians to the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments. He is also one of the Victorian Equal Opportunities and Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Youth Ambassadors. Lucas is passionate about issues around youth participation and promoting young people's involvement in the policy decisions that affect them.
Richard Hill (Deputy Chairperson)
Richard has worked as youth worker, youth service manager, trainer and researcher in various guises for the last 40 years. He has worked mainly in local government (including a stint in East London), spent three years teaching on the Youth Work course at the former Phillip Institute (now part of RMIT), and has recently completed a variety of consultancy projects in the youth sector.
He now works freelance as a facilitator, lecturer and supporting quality improvement. While this work spans a variety of sectors, it is still primarily in Youth Work and Community Development.
He has been involved with YACVic at various stages of its history and was president of the Victorian Youth Workers Association in the late 70s. He still has a strong interest in youth affairs and is delighted to be part of YACVic’s current resurgence and strong focus on youth participation.
Toni Jenkins (Treasurer and Regional/Rural Representative)
Toni is the Executive Officer of the South West Local Learning and Employment Network. Although she was born and bred in regional Victoria, as a young person her one aim in life was to leave the country for the 'bright lights' of the city. She therefore lived and worked in Melbourne for many years as well as working for a time overseas. She has worked in all sectors of the work force: private, government and community.
A converted returnee she is now passionate about living and working in rural Victoria. The YACVic role, in many ways is an extension of that passion, as the regional Victoria rep Toni believes that she can bring to the table an important perspective that will add value to and strengthen YACVic's Board of Governance.
Cassandra Devine
Cassandra is a Public Policy/Media and Communications graduate, and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Social Policy. She has been an active member of the Youth Reference Group since 2004. She was a regional editor of the Office for Youth’s youthcentral website and has also conducted media skills training in Timor-Leste. This year she brings her communication skills to the role of Young Media Spokesperson for the Youth Affairs Council Victoria.
Cassandra is a recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and Rotary Youth Leadership Award. She also has a longstanding interest in health and wellbeing, sitting on the Community Advisory Board for Body Image and teaching yoga in her spare time.
Victoria McLure (Young Media Spokesperson)
Victoria is a 20 year old young person from the Central Goldfields in regional Victoria. Currently in her final year of a Batchelor of Youth Studies at Victoria University, Victoria hopes to break into the public policy field at the end of this year, with particular interest in policy affecting regional young people.
Victoria has been involved with YACVic for the past 3 years as a Youth Reference Group member where she developed a great interest in organisational policy and strategic planning. In the role of Young Media Spokesperson, Victoria hopes to create a stronger point for communication between the Board of Goverance and Youth Reference Group, in order to broaden YACVic's capacity for youth participation in organisational decision making and strategic planning.
Tim Corney
Tim is a qualified youth worker and has worked in the youth and community sector for over twenty years as a youth worker, manager of youth services and as a consultant to community agencies, government and peak bodies. He has taught and published widely in the area of youth affairs.
He is currently a member of the Youth Workers Professional Association reference group and a member of the board of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria. He recently co-authored the first draft of the Victorian Youth Sectors Code of Ethical Practice for the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria.
Bridie Hudson
Bridie, 24, is currently completing her Honours Degree in Psychology at The University of Melbourne. Bridie has been involved in youth advocacy since 2006, mostly through the Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS). As part of her work with YDAS, she has been an active Steering Committee member, Management Group member and chairperson of the Sector Reference Group. She has also contributed to various systemic youth disability advocacy projects and represented YDAS at various public speaking events.
Bridie has also worked within the youth sector in a paid capacity, as a Project Officer for Youthlaw and Women’s Health In the North. As a newly appointed board member, Bridie hopes to bring the voice of a young woman with a disability to the board. She hopes to facilitate a link between YACVic and YDAS that will strengthen the governance of both organisations.
Emma Crichton
Emma is the CEO of St Kilda Youth Service (SKYS), a proud and passionate organisation that works with young people who are disadvantaged and who experience complex needs. SKYS works with young people in the city of Port Phillip and young people who visit the municipality to attend the innovative community Education programs that SKYS offer.
Emma is a tireless networker; she works in this manner to in order to achieve systemic change. Emma works with local residents, government, philanthropy, young people and the corporate sector to get the greatest possible outcomes for young people. Emma has been involved in the youth and community sector for over ten years. Emma is serving her second term on the YACVIC Board.
Khan Churchill
Khan is a Youth Worker who has been working in the sector since 2002. In this time he has worked predominately in the areas of employment, education and training support with at-risk and homeless young people. Working in the Western suburbs of Melbourne he is passionate about supporting young people, with a particular focus on those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Khan is also a strong advocate for the ongoing professionalisation of Youth Work as a profession and currently sits on the development committee for the Youth Workers' Association.
Lauren Fernando
Lauren is a Bachelor of Arts - Youth Studies student at Victoria University, where she is also the Equity Officer at the Victoria University Student Union. She looks after student advocacy for a range of collectives. She has also previously served on the Victoria University Council.
Lauren has been a representative to World Youth Day, Cologne, and was inspired to create a youth group at her parish. From 2006, she has coordinated a youth group at St. Joseph's, Springvale, and in 2008 took a group of young people to World Youth Day, Sydney. Lauren was recently elected National Ethno Cultural Officer for the National Union of Students. She is passionate about youth participation and social inclusion.
