Our Youth Advisory Board
Communities at Work launched the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) in 2019. It comprises a voluntary group of passionate young employees from across the organisation, who provide insights to the executive board about youth issues, both within the organisation and the broader Canberra community.
Our Youth Advisory Board plays a significant role in creating opportunities for training and leadership experiences among the young members of the organisation. YAB members continuously interact with our Executive Team, gaining an insight into how an organisation’s top leaders operate and the issues that are important to them, and developing a holistic understanding of organisational dynamics and leadership roles.
Additionally, the organisation’s Chief Strategic Officer (CSO), periodically delivers Strategic Development Professional Development sessions to our Youth Advisory Board to support their leadership and strategic thinking skills.
The tenure of a YAB member ends when they cross the age of 30. Until then, a YAB member can stay on the Board for as long or as little as possible. The YAB tends to have between 10-15 members at any given time. If you have any questions or an issue to raise with Communities at Work’s YAB, please email youthadvisoryboard@commsatwork.org
Meet our current YAB members:
Hannah Rainbow
OSHC Inclusion Support Officer
Hannah is the OSHC Inclusion Support Officer. Hannah works with other facilitators, operations coordinators and the management to plan workshops and activities that are meaningful for the participants. She is passionate about her hands-on leadership role and loves working with the clients, staff and leadership teams to constantly improve the services and programs. She enjoys being a part of the progress that the clients achieve and is driven to provide education and aid development for not only herself but other stakeholders and staff.
Hannah joined the Youth Advisory Board to contribute her thoughts and speak up for those that may not have the courage to do so themselves (especially people with a disability). Her bubbly personality and bright ideas keeps the YAB’s initiatives refreshing. When Hannah is not at work you will likely find her on a footy field or walking her puppy.
Felix Latham
Seniors and Transport Manager
Felix Latham resides in the Lifestyle Services Team as The Seniors and Transport Manager. He initially joined Communities at Work as an out of school hours care (OSHC) educator. He then journeyed into finance where he was the Program Accountant for the same program that he currently manages. Felix enjoys getting involved in any project he can get his hands, irrespective of the program area or department. He greatly appreciates being a part of the social impact that Communities at Work offers to the Canberra community through its range of services.
Felix hopes to use his diverse experience gained as a Communities at Work employee in Seniors and Transport, organisational support and OSHC, to provide a unique perspective on the issues and projects that are important to the Youth Advisory Board. He is particularly interested in honing his strategic thinking skills and discovering innovative ways to tackle complex issues as a member of the Youth Advisory Board. When not at work, Felix spends his time skateboarding, exercising, or hanging out with his friends.
Mabinty Koroma
Community Development Officer
Mabinty joined the Communities at Work, Community Development team in early June 2022. The focus of Mabinty’s role is to support the delivery of community development initiatives in the new and emerging community of Denman Prospect, and Infusion which is the CD programs mobile community café.
Mabinty brings a wealth of experience and excellent social skills to her new role, which she has developed during her time working in the community sector. These skills have enabled her to take on more responsibilities, and to develop and support the delivery of several community building initiatives.
Mabinty is eager to raise awareness of asset-based community development (ABCD) across Communities at Work, and to introduce this approach to the work of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB). To date the YAB’s work has primarily focused on working within Communities at Work, however Mabinty is eager to help build the YAB’s connections to the broader community creating opportunities for younger Canberrans to gain information of the organisation programs, and employment opportunities.
Nicole Betts
Internal Auditor , Education and Care
Nicole's role as an Internal Auditor for Children's Services involves ensuring compliance for all sites for Communities at Work, in line with Children's Education and Care regulations and learning frameworks. She enjoys supporting the services in discovering ways to implement best practices and improving outcomes for the children. She does this by sharing best practice approaches and providing all the necessary information to help maximise the service potential.
Nicole joined the Youth Advisory Board to extend her passion for supporting people beyond Children’s Services, and to help the young employees at Communities at Work feel heard and fulfilled. She brings her expertise from an industry compliance and best practice perspective, and hopes to implement initiatives that not only matter to the youth at the organisation, but also help improve the service areas, translating to positive and quality outcomes for the organisation’s clients and community. Outside of work, Nicole spends time with her nieces and nephews, and watching films.
Bayden Addison
Digital Transformation Specialist
Bayden Addison has been with Communities at Work since 2016. He started working in the organisation in the Seniors' Groups and Community Transport programs overseeing the daily operations of the teams. In 2020, he completed his education in IT and moved on to the role of a Digital Transformation Specialist within the Digital Transformation team. He now assists the organisation in its progression towards digital transformation through building and updating applications, analysing current practices and increasing their effectiveness through digitalisation, increasing communication flow between program areas and employees, providing technical support to program areas, and migrating and updating systems.
Bayden hopes to share his experience within the community sector, passion for digital transformation and automation to provide an accessible and quality service for all. As a member of the Youth Advisory Board, he has a focus on improving developing and streamlining organisational practices, as well as arming the organisation with strong innovative strategies to improve its social, financial, and environmental sustainability. Outside of his working career, he enjoys making music, rock climbing and all things tech.