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Firefly works with, supports, and advocates for young people in the Bay and Basin through collaboration. We work with the community and organisations for better outcomes and experiences for local youth.
Firefly Bay and Basin is a youth-focused initiative with the aim of being community driven.
Set up as a pilot program to explore ways for communities to work together and improve the lives of children, young people, and their families. We started off by having conversations with the community to co-design positive outcomes and solutions around the needs for young people in the Bay and Basin.
We strive to connect and collaborate with community, groups and organisations from across the sectors to impact social issues, innovate and avoid program duplication.
The original consultation with community commenced in 2019 where we met with young people 4-18 years, community members (residents, parents), business owners, community groups, local and state government, service providers and schools. Where surveys, one on one consultations, conversations, digital listening, activity engagement and event participation formed our research, and identified a need in further supports around young people, particularly in the middle years, 8-14 years old. Using this data we developed a set of 5 community goals to help influence our direction.
Our work is ever-evolving, experimental and adaptive just like the communities in which we work. Firefly will look at re-establishing our community listening and working towards being youth and community-driven throughout 2023 and beyond.
If you’re interested in community led programs, place-based initiatives, or affecting positive change for young people in the Bay and Basin, we would love to hear from you. Contact us here.
The name “Firefly” holds a powerful allegory that reflects our mission in the Bay and Basin. Like a lone firefly emitting a small light, Firefly acknowledges the impact it can make when working on its own. However, the true strength lies in unity, just as a swarm of fireflies can brilliantly light up a room. The organisation’s vision is to partner with the community, recognising that collective efforts create the most significant change. By involving the community, Firefly gains diverse perspectives, resources, and efficiency, paving the way for empowering individuals and fostering lasting transformations. Collaboration enhances credibility and attracts support, enabling systemic change and leaving positive societal legacies.
Tash is Firefly’s Community Impact Strategy Coordinator, that’s a bit of a mouthful! But what that means is she looks after the everyday running of Firefly in the Bay and Basin community. Her focus is making sure we have youth at the centre of everything we do.
When she’s not looking for awesome partnerships with organisations and community to create great stuff to support local young people, you can find her at the beach or watching Doctor Who. Tash has been working with regional communities for over 5 years and brings stakeholder engagement, strategy planning and communications management to this role. She is Working with Children Checked and has been delivering youth focused initiatives and activations for over 3 years.
She is excited by the possibilities in learning more from the young people of Bay and Basin and working in collaboration with likeminded people.
Tash is currently on Maternity Leave and will rejoin the team in late 2024.
Christine is our on the ground Community Connector here at Firefly. Having lived and worked in Sanctuary Point and the wider Bay and Basin community for over ten years, she brings local knowledge and strong connections to local youth and families to the role. Having a background in Business and Early Childhood Education, Christine is continuously interested in making a positive difference for families and young people in our community, not matter their age!
Not one to shy away from hard work like flipping a snag at a community BBQ, when she’s not talking and listening to people in the community and working with youth at a grassroots level, you can find her getting dumped at Nelsons Beach while she volunteers at Nippers or welcoming people as part of the local Red Cross Evacuation team.
She has a current Working with Children’s Check and an extensive background in developing youth focused programs. Supporting the community where she lives is important to her, she looks forward to further developing her skills in youth engagement and communications.
Kasey is our Youth Connector here at Firefly, this means that she works with the team to engage and connect with the young people in the Bay and Basin community. She brings her knowledge from her studies in Social Work and lived experience to the role, using these skills to help create a meaningful impact with the young people that Firefly engage with.
When Kasey isn’t at work helping the team with projects and making connections in the community she is studying, doing her student placement or spending time with her 2 dogs and family. In her free time, you’ll find Kasey attempting to knit blankets, drinking tea with a book in hand, or by the water.
Kasey has a Working with Children Check and experience working with young people and in the mental health sector, she aims to continue to work with young people throughout her career and use her Social Work degree to enhance the lives of any community she encounters.
Liz is Firefly’s Community Impact Strategy Coordinator, whilst Tash Busbridge is on Maternity Leave. When she’s not looking for awesome partnerships with organisations and community to create great stuff to support local young people, you can find her at the beach surfing with her family and friends, exploring the beautiful south coast or enjoying the outdoors while going for a walk or a run.
Liz has her Working with Childrens Check and has worked with and for communities to improve health, wellbeing and cultural connections over the last 7 years through her work as a research manager of an Aboriginal youth health and wellbeing study. She also draws on her five years’ of experience working as the project manager of youth led and focused programs in the Northern Territory and Vanuatu.
Mardi is a Research, Tracking and Learning Associate working with Firefly and place-based initiatives in Northern NSW. When she’s not collating and analysing data to facilitate learning, you can find her outdoors, usually at the beach or in the bush.
Mardi has her Working with Childrens Check and has worked as an evaluator in community and international development settings over the last 15 years. She loves working with diverse communities to understand their aspirations for change and facilitating realistic ways to demonstrate effect. She grew up in the Bay & Basin and is passionate about hearing and elevating the voices of young people – our future leaders.
Key to our work within community is partnerships and collaboration with community groups, services, and key organisations. We are always on the lookout for amazing people and teams to work with when trying for better outcomes for young people in the Bay and Basin community.
Since working in the community, we have had the privilege of working with several community groups and organisations who support our local young people and want to see them thrive.
Firefly is one of nine Uniting NSW.ACT Future Horizons community initiatives. Future Horizons aims to build a better world by focusing on communities and places with the greatest need. We bring together young people, parents and carers, schools, organisations, governments, and residents to collaborate, find solutions, and create lasting change for that community. Being place-based, we work with communities to solve challenges around connection, wellbeing, and opportunity through innovative ideas that empower the people, experts, and organisations who know the community best.
Uniting’s investment in the 9 initiatives involves co-designing with young people and communities, co-funding with partners, and trialing and growing new programs. We are inviting other investors and collaborators to join us.
Uniting NSW.ACT contributes to the work of the Uniting Chruch in NSW and in the ACT, through social justice advocacy, community services and spiritual care. We provide services for people through all ages and stages of life, and drive solutions to systemic issues so people experiencing disadvantage can live their best lives.
Our purpose is to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice.
We value diversity and always welcome everyone exactly as they are.
To learn more, visit Uniting’s website