Impact in Action
Proof that alignment works.
Real change happens when intent becomes alignment; when partners across sectors share purpose, data, and accountability.
The Rethink Collective exists to make that alignment possible.
These examples, drawn from Australia and around the world, demonstrate the power of collaboration, prevention, and long-term systems thinking. Each reflects the same principles that underpin Rethink’s work today: shared purpose, shared data, and shared accountability.
Feature Case:
Our Futures Institute
Scaling prevention through research, education, and policy alignment.
The Challenge
Young people were facing escalating challenges: rising anxiety, vaping, and digital harm.
Although world-class prevention programs existed within the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre, there was no mechanism to deliver them at national scale.
The Approach
Our Futures Institute (OFI) was established to bridge that gap by translating evidence into action through partnership between researchers, educators, government, and technology providers.
With federal investment, OFI built the infrastructure to scale digital wellbeing programs into more than 2,000 schools nationwide, creating a sustainable model for prevention.
The Impact
A national platform now enables consistent, evidence-based education for students, supporting schools to build resilience before crisis points occur.
OFI demonstrates how coordinated design across research, policy, and delivery can achieve systemic change; the same approach that drives every Rethink coalition.
Spotlight Example of Systems Change:
BackTrack (Australia)
Keeping young people connected to community through purpose and work.
The Challenge
Rural youth disconnection and justice involvement were escalating across regional NSW, with traditional responses focused on punishment and crisis services.
The Approach
BackTrack, founded by Bernie Shakeshaft in Armidale, brought together schools, local councils, police, and community leaders around a new model: helping young people “stay alive, stay out of jail, and chase their dreams.”
The program integrates education re-engagement, trade training, mental health support, and community service — all underpinned by local trust and consistent adult mentorship.
Rather than operating as a standalone service, BackTrack coordinates existing systems — education, justice, and employment — around young people’s needs.
The Impact
Over ten years, the model reduced youth crime by over 50% in participating regions, increased school retention and employment, and inspired replication in 10+ rural towns.
It demonstrates the power of local systems change — aligning community, government, and civil society around shared outcomes, not outputs.
Spotlight Example of Systems Change:
Maranguka (Australia)
Indigenous-led justice reinvestment in Bourke.
The Challenge
Bourke had one of the highest youth-offending and incarceration rates in NSW. Local leaders saw millions spent on reactive policing and detention — with little investment in prevention or community capacity.
The Approach
Through the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment Project, the Bourke Tribal Council partnered with the NSW Government, philanthropy, and service providers to redirect justice spending into locally designed solutions.
Using a systems-mapping process, the community identified key leverage points — from family safety and youth engagement to driver licensing and school attendance.
Government agencies and NGOs signed a shared outcomes framework, with a Cross-Sector Leadership Group overseeing data sharing and progress tracking.
The Impact
Within five years, youth offending fell 38%, days in custody dropped 42%, and community cohesion indicators improved significantly.
Maranguka’s model has since informed state and national justice policy, proving that shifting decision-making power to community is a scalable mechanism for systemic change.
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Spotlight Example of Systems Change:
Generation (Global)
Rewiring the transition from education to employment.
The Challenge
Youth unemployment remained stubbornly high even in growing economies. Employers struggled to find job-ready candidates, while education systems weren’t aligned to real labour-market needs.
The Approach
Founded by McKinsey & Company as a non-profit, Generation operates across 15 countries, uniting government, employers, training providers, and funders around a shared framework: “Train for jobs that exist, measure what matters, and place graduates where they thrive.”
The program builds country-level ecosystems where employer demand drives curriculum design, public funding supports scaling, and data informs continuous improvement.
The Impact
Generation has placed over 100,000 graduates into sustainable employment, improving job retention by up to 80% and driving national skills-policy reform in markets such as Spain, Kenya, and India.
It demonstrates systems integration at the education–employment interface — aligning incentives, data, and policy to break structural cycles of youth joblessness.
Spotlight Example of Systems Change:
Ireland’s Prevention and Early Intervention Initiative (Europe)
Embedding prevention in national policy.
The Challenge
Ireland’s child and youth services were heavily crisis-driven — with most funding tied to late intervention and statutory response. Prevention programs were fragmented and poorly coordinated.
The Approach
The Prevention and Early Intervention Initiative (PEII), launched in 2006, united the Irish Government, the Atlantic Philanthropies, and community providers to test and embed early-intervention models at scale.
Over a decade, PEII established 20 demonstration sites across education, health, and family services, all evaluated through a shared measurement framework.
The model created joint funding pools, combining philanthropic and government resources, and built a national learning platform that translated evidence into policy recommendations.
The Impact
PEII’s success informed the Children and Young People’s Policy Framework (2014–2020) and led to the creation of a dedicated Prevention Unit within government.
It stands as a leading example of systems change at the policy level — shifting how a nation allocates resources, measures success, and institutionalises prevention.