The Helmsman Project merges with youth organisation Creating Chances to make a game-changing impact on the lives of young people across NSW and Australia.
It's been an exciting month for The Helmsman Project, all centred around the launch of our 2022 programs.
Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic changed, altered and disturbed almost every aspect of our lives. While the impact of COVID-19 hit all of us in some way there has been a disproportionate impact on certain members of Australian society including young people.
Read more
In July 2021, The Helmsman Project received an email from Sara Wanner, a teacher from British Columbia, Canada, requesting to deliver our Wellbeing Program to her students. This marked the beginning of The Helmsman Project going international!
Read more
The school year has started. 2022 is an extra special one for our family as our eldest son makes his debut in formal education. As many parents would experience at this stage of life, a whole new level of excitement and anxiety has kicked in...
Read more
As an organisation that focuses on positive psychology and growth mindset, the headline of this article might come as a surprise. We’re so used to hearing or saying “think positive” - how could a negative frame of mind ever be helpful?
Read more.jpg)
There’s a lot of talk in media, workplaces and society in general about the many ways we can support our wellbeing. But what about a practical, routine activity that you can implement into your life. Well, volunteering is a great activity you can do that is proven to improve your wellbeing and mental health.
Read more
"Courage is a question of perspective, which is fed by our experiences, beliefs, limitations. In 2012, I chose to leave my career in public relations. The typical responses I received when sharing my decision with others were: 'Oh wow, you’re so courageous!' Why did everyone else think I was being so brave?"
What is it about The Helmsman Project programs that sets us apart from the others? What makes our programs unique? For one, it is our considerate combination of challenges. The other aspect that sets us apart is our research.
Read more
"Amongst the latest Covid numbers, climate change updates and all the bad news, it can be pretty hard to pop our head above the surface and get a glimpse of what the future might look like."
Read more
We recently received exciting news that The Helmsman Project has been selected to receive a Community Grant from the Westpac Foundation for 2021.
Read more
It’s been eight years since my first meeting with Andrew (co-founder), and The Helmsman Project has empowered over 1,000 young people to develop fundamental life skills. Many of these young people have had their life trajectory completely turned around. I am proud and humbled to have been part of their journey with our team.
Read more
Supporting young people's mental health and wellbeing has never been more important than now. Do you know a school that needs support in providing wellbeing initiatives to its students?
In order to truly understand the impact of our wellbeing program, we share with you a handful of student responses...
Read more
Financial support from the broader community has never been so critical for not-for-profits. Every donation goes a long way in allowing us to support young people who are experiencing disadvantage and struggling to overcome the many hurdles presented to them in today's world.
Read more
We are very excited to announce the renewed support of Endeavour Energy as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
We are very excited to announce the renewed support of Danks Trust as funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
Last week was National Volunteer Week, a time to stop and share a huge thank you to all of our volunteers.
Read more
The student workbook is an essential component of our new program and the graphic design team at our funding partner EG added just the right pizzaz to make it pop...
Read more
After 12 months of design and collaboration, our new program came to life...
Should we focus on highly impactful, intensive interventions delivered to few beneficiaries, or interventions with positive influence (at varying degrees) delivered to many?
Read more
Are you a photographer or videographer? Or both? We're looking for a talented volunteer to help us capture photos and videos of our new Wellbeing and Community Leadership program.
Read more
With great pride we introduce to you our new facilitators. These facilitators will run our new program, set to launch in a matter of weeks.
Read more
This case study provides an overview of the collaborative process our team undertook with partner schools over the last 12 months, and reflections on the hurdles and support we experienced as we embarked on this human-centered design project.
Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement celebrated annually. The day was created to remind and energise all people to give back to community and do good for the world.
Kim reflects on her family as a source of inspiration for creativity and ingenuity. When resources are scarce, the greatest ingenuity and innovations can arise.
Read more
Atlassian Foundation has long supported The Helmsman Project including as a funding partner. Atlassian Foundation shares a commitment in wanting to support young people.
Read more
Belinda Robinson joined our team of professional coaches in 2020. She reflects on her first coaching experience on our programs, and the unique impact Covid-19 had on her experience.
Read more
The Helmsman Project team has been very busy this year working on a human-centred design project in collaboration with high school partners to help us test and evaluate new potential offerings to address key challenges schools face in supporting young people.
At the core of our programs are two fundamental methodologies: experiential learning and reflective process. Using these processes Kim reflects on leadership lessons from COVID.
Read more
We are very excited to welcome Steadfast Foundation as funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
Our program offers a blend of developmental coaching and adventure education targeted towards young people who are at risk of not realising their full potential.
Read more
In psychology, resilience is the capacity to bounce back from adversity, conflict, and failure or even positive events, progress, and increased responsibility. For our team, resilience is three things: welcome challenges, bounce back and be courageous.
Read more
Kim reflects on how the 'water cooler conversations' and the benefits of those interactions don't exist in a work-from-home environment. The random, unplanned chats can often be one of the ways in which information flows between departments, collaboration ideas spark and organisational culture thrives. So how can we create a ‘water cooler’ effect in a remote working environment?
Read more
Wednesday, 22 July marked seven years of The Helmsman Project delivering life-changing programs to young people. We’ve come a long way since 2013 and while many aspects of our organisation have changed and grown over the years, we are proud to stick by the same mission: to help young people develop the skills and perspective to set goals, overcome setbacks, persevere and thrive.
Read more.jpeg)
Right now, some students are doing it tough. And as we haven't been able to set foot in our partner schools since March, we've developed an initiative to provide our much needed support to those students in need.
Read more.jpg)
One of our values at The Helmsman Project is self-regulation, which is also a life skill we help our young participants develop and is a critical leadership tool.
Read more
Our CEO Kim Larochelle shares how the value 'hope' helps frame her leadership and management strategies.
Read more
COVID 19 has had and is continuing to have a significant and substantial impact on the education of billions of students around the globe. Schools have been closed and teachers have had to develop remote educational experiences and content, almost overnight, using new and at times unfamiliar online technologies.
Read more
As the reality of self-isolation, social distancing and home schooling sets in, I can’t help myself but to think that some positive - dare I say, great - things will come out of this dire situation.
Read more
Our organisation has been working with young people for nearly seven years, supporting them to maintain a positive wellbeing, and we would like to offer families some of our expert knowledge in this space.
Read more
Three of our groups were fortunate enough to attend a design thinking and team-building workshop hosted by Amazon Web Services Australia.
Read more
As the world faces unprecedented events due to coronavirus, 'business as usual' is disrupted. Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-based leadership technique to engage in meaningful, positive conversations in support of successful change initiatives.
Read more
Innovation has become a positive buzzword in the business world. Everyone wants to innovate. Change, on the other hand, is this confronting state we need to try and 'manage'.
Read more
We are very excited to announce Amazon Web Services Australia as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
On Tuesday 11 February we launched our first round of programs for 2020 with a community project workshop day.
Read more
On Wednesday 19 November 2019, we hosted an event featuring Dr. Sean O’Connor who spoke on the topic of effective approaches to organisational change. Dr. Sean O’Connor presented an incredible seminar on how to effectively coach people and organisations through change, with a focus on his breakthrough PhD research ‘The Coaching Ripple Effect’.
Read more
As we welcome a new year, Kim gives an overview on how The Helmsman Project is kickstarting 2020.
Read more
The Technical Training Branch at Endeavour Energy conducted a 6-week program with some Year 9 Helmsman students. The program was designed to teach skills to manage risks, build confidence and prepare young people for employment.
Read more
On Wednesday 4 December, The Helmsman Project celebrated 63 young people from schools across Western Sydney completing our program. The Helmsman Project graduation is a highly anticipated event. It gives everyone an opportunity to hear directly from the students the impact the program has had on them.
Read more As we farewell another year, the time is ripe to take stock on where we are...
Read more We are extremely privileged at The Helmsman Project to have a close community of truly remarkable individuals supporting our work. One of these is Dr Sean O’Connor...
Read more
Zena shares her reflection on the impact The Helmsman Project has not only on the participants, but the surrounding community.
Read more
We have received excellent news from our Birrong Girls group who recently held a fundraising event as part of their community project.
Read more
We recently received exciting news that The Helmsman Project has been selected to receive a Community Grant from the Westpac Foundation for 2019.
Read more
The Helmsman Project Youth Board was given the opportunity to run a two-hour workshop with 60 professionals from Macquarie Bank global offices.
Read more
Whether we talk about technology, climate, politics, global demographics, the way we consume or socialise, the rhetoric is the same: change is now the norm. In this reality, some see the opportunities, others are left behind.
Read more
After many weeks of excitement and anticipation our three current groups recently completed their outdoor adventure education component of the program.
Read more In my six years in the not-for-profit sector, I’ve come across really successful examples of corporate foundations engaging their employees in their community objectives. The best of these managed to not only generate a sense of purpose among their employees, but also made a tremendous impact on the charities they supported.
Read more
We are very excited to announce Atlassian Foundation as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
Kim's summary and reflection on attending the community project workshop day for our second wave of programs in 2019.
Read more
The Helmsman Project started as a vision to help young people achieve their potential and make a difference in the world. This vision was brought into being through the passion and dedication of a team of people committed to this idea. Now, six years on, we know our program makes a difference in the lives of our participants not only because that’s what our research tells us, but most importantly, because our graduates tell us it does.
Read more
Monday 22 July marked six years since the launch of our very first Helmsman Project program and we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on our journey.
Read more
Matt Robinson has coached on a number of The Helmsman Project programs since 2016 and has recently joined The Helmsman team. Here's a reflection from Matt on his coaching experiences with young people in Western Sydney.
Read more Kim outlines The Helmsman Project's key focuses underpinning the goals of scale and growth.
Read more
On Friday 21 June, Goodman Foundation hosted their annual bake-off fundraiser in support of The Helmsman Project.
Read more
We are proud to present the completed community project from our Term 1 2019 Cumberland high school boys group.
Read more Kim addresses the challenges faced by charities in Australia, touching on how The Helmsman Project manages these and the important role of strategy.
Bindi Newman volunteered with The Helmsman Project coaching team in 2018, coaching on one of our programs with Strathfield South High School. Here's Bindi's reflection on her experience coaching with us.
Read more
Jemma joined The Helmsman Project for a week of work experience in October 2018. Jemma reflects on the valuable experiences and lessons she gained during her week with us.
Read more
In my first week at The Helmsman Project I was lucky to visit the schools and meet the students enrolled in our programs. One of the highlights of The Helmsman Project’s program is the community projects which students plan and commit to once the program concludes....
Read more
This month, The Helmsman Project turns five - an achievement that would not have been possible without the generosity and commitment of many…
Read more
We are so fortunate at The Helmsman Project to be assisted by dedicated, professional and skilled volunteers. We interviewed Craig King, Senior Graphic Designer at Goodman, who designs collateral on a variety of projects for us, and asked him about why he enjoys working with The Helmsman Project.
.jpg)
Sean shares his passion for volunteering, his personal drive to give back to community and why he chooses to volunteer with us.
Read more
Justin's life was changed by The Helmsman Project... Make a world of difference before June 30.
Read more.png)
Innovation and growth can only happen when the client's needs or desires are understood. With this thought in mind and in line with our aspiration to continue to impact the lives of our graduates, we recently launched a new and exciting initiative...
Read more
We have recently held our fourth annual charity dinner, presented at The Funding Network’s Macquarie Foundation event and launched our 10th wave of programs. Amongst all this, we have developed, refined and launched a five-year strategy to support The Helmsman Project to grow and prosper into the future...
Read more
Sheena Polese, one of The Helmsman Project's 2017 volunteers of the year, shares with us what she loves about coaching with The Helmsman Project.
Read more
This year is The Helmsman Project’s fifth anniversary and our organisation has seen many changes as it continues to evolve and develop further into new programs and opportunities. We have seen changes in management, staff, and programs, coupled with increased corporate sponsorship. Most importantly, we have witnessed vast changes in our most recent cohort of graduates.
Read more
Coaching Manager Charmaine O'Brien shares her insights on creativity and its links to coaching and The Helmsman Project.
Read more
We are very excited to be launching a brand new opportunity for graduates of our programs: The Helmsman Project youth board.
Read more
Innovation is at the heart of The Helmsman Project. In line with this focus, we recently held a panel discussion on ‘Innovation in the workplace’ featuring three world leaders in technology: Atlassian, Amazon Web Services and Rackspace. It might be surprising to hear that the main topic discussed wasn't technology...
Read more
We are so fortunate at The Helmsman Project to work with a group of dedicated, professional and skilled volunteers. In this blog, we speak to Corinne O’Sullivan, one of our amazing volunteers, on why she loves sharing her time and talent to helping The Helmsman Project.
The Helmsman Project celebrated four years of operations last month, a milestone to which more than 120 volunteers have contributed and which has impacted just over 300 young lives. It has been no small feat - hope, self-regulation and resilience have been essential ingredients to our progress.
Young people who have been affected by disadvantage have had many experiences that required them to develop a range of coping mechanisms, many of which are admirable life skills. However, it is typical for young people in these circumstances to experience lower levels of support, which makes it difficult for them to realise they possess these valuable attributes.
Read more
The Helmsman Project is an innovative blend of developmental coaching and adventure education targeted toward Year 9 students who are at risk of not fulfilling their potential. At its essence, the program seeks to help the students take bigger perspectives on themselves, others and the world. By doing this we help them build hope, self-regulation and resilience.
Read more
For a community like mine, the Helmsman Project provided opportunities for learning and growth that go beyond what we can deliver at school or at home. This wonderful program unearths hidden strengths and talents, which my students will take with them into their adult lives.
Read more
According to some researchers, self-regulation is one of the most important factors for encouraging academic engagement and preventing risky behaviour. While this is a skill that is important in every stage of life, it is particularly important for young people who are making critical decisions about their futures.
Read more
For those who aren’t familiar with the word ‘helmsman’ it can be a little bit of a tongue twister. The ‘helm’ is what steers a ship, usually it’s a wheel. The ‘helmsman’ is the person in charge of steering the ship. He or she guides the rest of the crew to reach their destination.
Read more
As a not-for-profit, The Helmsman Project relies on the generosity of organisations and individuals to make a difference in the lives of young people from communities affected by disadvantage. Every dollar counts so we have come up with a few simple ways you could fundraise for The Helmsman Project.
Read more
What this program allows is for students to explore who they are and practical steps to help them become who they want to be. They have the opportunity to be vulnerable, try new things and grow all in a safe environment. | Read more →
"My aunt and uncle have seen a massive change in me since the program and it makes them so happy. They tell me every day that I’m getting better. It means a lot to me and I thank The Helmsman Project for that. The program is a great chance for students to experience a big change in their life.” | Read more →
Today, Rashad Nadir is making a difference in our public hospitals working as a nurse while studying part time to get a masters and continue helping his adopted country after fleeing Afghanistan. | Read more →