Julia brings a long and successful career of working with youth to her role as VicSRC’s CEO. From humble beginnings as a swim teacher & lifeguard to keep herself afloat through uni, Julia continued her passion for working with young people with a range of youth organisations, eventually landing her ideal role as a youth worker. After doing years of service delivery, she moved into the policy space focusing on advocating for the rights of young people across a range of areas. With an immense passion and drive for social justice, Julia brings a thirst for knowledge and a lightning-quick wit to the VicSRC team. When she’s not amplifying student voice at the office, you’ll find Julia enjoying time with her extended family, somewhere in the great outdoors, or partaking in what she deems to be the “greatest artistic invention on the planet” – musicals.

Ian joined VicSRC in 2013 after an exciting life travelling the world and getting up to mischief. Now he ensures VicSRC is financially stable and remains that way. Apart from maths and spreadsheets Ian's other loves are going to live gigs, Leeds United Football Club and the British punk folk band New Model Army.

Jake is passionate about using co-design to create positive, inclusive change, with a particular focus on working alongside young people to develop solutions that reflect their needs and experiences. He has been actively involved in his community, collaborating with local youth organizations and community groups to design programs and services that are both relevant and empowering. With a strong commitment to cultural awareness, Jake works to ensure that diverse perspectives are included in every project, fostering environments where all young people feel respected, heard, and supported. His approach is grounded in a belief that community-driven solutions are key to supporting the wellbeing of young people, and he strives to create spaces where everyone feels safe and valued. Outside of work, Jake enjoys spending as much time as possible with his dog and listening to his backlog of podcasts.

Georgia comes to us with a passion for empowering young people through open conversations to make lasting change. With a background and degree in youth work, Georgia's passion has always been supporting young people to express their real (and too often, unheard) ideas about how to do things better. Georgia has worked for leading organisations in the youth space, from Policy Intern at YACVic, to Program Director at Youth Parliament. When she isn't advocating for the rights of young people across the state, you'll find her lost in the pages of fantasy worlds, playing games with her partner and friends, or dabbling in jazz and tap dancing! 

Chelsea is VicSRC’s Communications and Membership Officer, with experience in digital media, editing, journalism and more! Chelsea is passionate about youth advocacy and involvement, and the power of storytelling in enacting change. They can be found at different movie watching events across Naarm and loudly sharing their opinions on said films. 

Riya (she/her) is VicSRC's Policy and Research Officer. She comes to VicSRC with a background in youth participation at the Youth Affairs Council Victoria, where she worked as a Facilitator and Project Officer. She is passionate about ensuring that the voices of children and young people are included in decision-making processes, especially in mental health and family violence prevention. As young person herself, Riya sees the immense value in combining lived experience expertise with other research. Riya also loves to write, check out spoken word nights and share tea on the balcony with her (dead and dying) plants.