NSW Youth Service of the Year

LeaderLife was born in 2011 to fill a services gap in Dubbo for youth. There was an identified need to provide genuine, wrap around support services for young people missing out on the holistic supports they needed to help them move beyond the extraordinary tough circumstances they’d experienced throughout their young lives. The solution; LeaderLife codesigned a social enterprise model with young people who identified the need for holistic care and supported pathways into training, paid employment and gaining the employability skills to enter and retain mainstream employment. In December 2019, their Social Enterprise kicked off with LeaderLife leasing a rundown lime farm in Narromine, solely to help at risk 15–25-year-olds to become independent, trained up and get jobs. This model was born totally for social purpose, aiming to create lasting social change and impact young lives for the better.

LeaderLife were awarded NSW Youth Action ‘Youth Service of the Year’ for 2024.

Our CEO Joh Leader, was inducted into the NSW Youth Work Hall of Fame. Oozing warmth, sincerity and compassion, Joh has taken formidable strides in providing sincere, meaningful holistic long-term support for those young ones caught in the crossfire of some of the most complex social issues anyone could face and falling through the cracks of society. In 2011, Joh recognised a significant gap in the Dubbo community and sought to make a change by founding LeaderLife; an ordinary organisation doing extraordinary things, ultimately helping kids and families doing it tough to live their best life. Joh is passionate about finding community solutions for kids instead of jail terms. For many years she has supported thousands of marginalised kids and their families, and it’s one of her dreams to expand partnerships and support others in establishing similar programs to help more kids.

LeaderLife CEO Joh Leader was nominated into the Youth Work Hall of Fame, pictured with Youth Worker Sam Mould, Brendan Fernando-Fuller and Program Coordinator Mel Singh.