Welcome to Future Fest On Demand

Future Fest is our epic day of listening, learning and doing. Given the ever-threatening risk of lockdowns, event capacity limits and cancellations, and potential border closures (what fun!) we’ve pivoted Future Fest to virtual delivery for 2021.

Rather than schools taking students offline for a whole day, in response to feedback from teachers, we’ve made our second Future Fest of the year an on-demand event. It’s designed so that you can run it over a single day or in bitesize chunks whenever, and however, suits you and your students.

There are two elements to Future Fest: fully-resourced interactive activities led by you and a range of speaker segments featuring some epic Aussie entrepreneurs (including several who are still at school!).

You can mix and match the content that your students and build an event, or a single lesson, that works for you. If you choose to run Future Fest as a full day event, be sure to check out our top tips here too!

Students hear from some epic Aussie entrepreneurs (including some who are still at school!) talking about their on their own journeys and unpacking topics from impact and measurement, to circular economy to developing a UVP and more.

Click on the topic or title of interest below, or scroll down to view all speaker segments in more detail.

MC’d by five time Olympian, Natalie Cook, we chat to entrepreneurs Damien Cook (PUML) and Annie Flamsteed (INSPIRE Sports Online), about entrepreneurship in sports and health and uncover other opportunities for innovation in the field.

(c. 25 mins)

Nic chats to Ed Ross, one of the co-founders of TradeMutt. TradeMutt is an Australian Workwear brand that aims to make tradies and workers of all kinds look and feel great at work, and in doing so, reduce the rate of male suicide in Australia.

(c. 20 mins)

MC’d by Leanne Kemp, founder and CEO of Everledger and Queensland’s former Chief Entrepreneur, we dive into innovation and the potential of the Circular Economy with two champions of change, Yas Grigaliunas (World’s Biggest Garage Sale) and Nick Kamols (Powerwells)

(c. 18 mins)

So, you’ve seen some epic entrepreneurs, but they’re older, wiser, smarter, more connected and have access to more money than you. Right? Wrong! Nic profiles a handful of incredible changemakers that began their entrepreneurial journey whilst still juggling the demands of school. Entrepreneurs featured include Lucy and Rosie Thomas (Project Rockit),  Anisa Nandaula (Voices in Colour), Noah Pronk (Sticky Pronk, Isabelle Hall & Eloise Mitchel (Taboo), Kai Lovell, Madeleine Buchnall (Little Dreamers), Tanieka McNeill Booth (Shielded Socks).

This speaker segment includes several activities for your students.

(c. 21 mins)

Nic chats to Will Smith-Stubbs, an entrepreneur, non-profit leader, and mental health activist. As co-founder and director of spur, a global strategy firm tackling complex social issues, the award-winning Australian mental health non-profit spur:org, and mental health tech platform Toucan Health, we’ll chat about how you actually measure impactful impact to create change.

(c. 25 mins)

Nic sits down with two entrepreneurs to unpack the ways in which their business is making the world a better place. We also explore untapped resources that students could innovate around to create their own businesses. With Lou Dever (NOTOX) and  Leon Fitzpatrick (Futurethingy).

(c. 42 mins)

So, you’ve seen some epic entrepreneurs, but they’re older, wiser, smarter, more connected and have access to more money than you. Right? Wrong! Nic chats to our 2018 and 2019 Future Anything Grand Final winners to unpack how they came up with their ideas, advice for other young entrepreneurs and where their businesses are now. With Tanieka Booth-McNeill (Shielded Socks) and Benina, Jai and Josiane (Culturehood).

(c. 37 mins)

We chat to James Fielding, founder of Audeara and Mikhara Ramsing, founder of Miks Chai, about their journey prototyping, testing and launching their products. We also dive into the ways you can launch a business when you don’t have any money of your own to start one.

(c. 45 mins)

Anisa is a nationally recognised spoken word poet, play writer, educator and published author. She is the 2016 Queensland Poetry slam champion and runner up for the Australian poetry slam championships.   She is the Sunshine Coast laughable comedy champion 2020 and won the crowd favourite prize at the good chat comedy club finals 2020. In 2017 she published her first book Melanin Garden and won the XYZ Innovation in Spoken Word Prize. She has performed at the Sydney Opera house, Splendour in the Grass, Queensland Poetry festival, Women of the world festival and toured the country sharing stories of love and courage. Anisa is also the co-founder of the arts collective Voices of Colour which creates spaces for migrant, refugee and first nations artists to share their work.

(c. 15 mins)

Since arriving in Australia as an unaccompanied minor from South Sudan, Elijah Buol – a Criminologist, former refugee, father of four and Director of Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland – has been a tireless advocate for the young and disadvantaged. His advocacy work was instrumental in removing children under 18 from adult prisons in Queensland.

(c. 16 mins)

Annabelle grew in up in rural New South Wales and completed a Bachelor of Arts/Law at Sydney University. Her passion lies in developing and implementing strategy, governance, business development, fundraising and speaking to promote the work of the Foundation. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including: The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), Sydney University Alumni of the Year for Service to Humanity in 2016, NSW Young Woman of the Year in 2015, Women of the Future Award – Australian Women’s Weekly and Qantas in 2014.

(c. 19 mins)

In October 2014, two best mates had a crazy idea to put two washing machines and two dryers in the back of a van, and wash and dry clothes for free. Nicholas Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, the 2016 Young Australians of the Year, founded Orange Sky – a world-first, free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness. On a mission to improve hygiene standards, Nic and Lucas stumbled on something much bigger and more significant – the power of a conversation. Orange Sky now has 29 laundry and shower services operating across the country, with thousands of volunteers giving their time each week to help positively connect some of the 116,000 Australians doing it tough. The focus is on creating a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or feel disconnected from the community.

(c. 19 mins)

Anna Harrison is a Brisbane-based growth strategist, designer and business consultant who creates pathways to profit for businesses. She has spent the past two decades consulting selectively to businesses in Australia, Europe and the USA; maximisng their value as they confront change and seek to innovate. Her clients include Oracle, Unisys, AusAsia Health Innovation Centre, Queensland Government and numerous retail and residential property SMEs. Anna’s commercially-focused aviation design work has drawn widespread plaudits from airport operators, currently facing rising costs and fierce international competition.

(c. 22 mins)

We hear from  three epic young changemakers who stepped up to take the lead in addressing the real world problems that matter to them. This session features three talks and a Q&A and is not to be missed!

• Creativity & Storytelling: A path of possibility – Isabella Taylor
• Our Planet: Empowering a united voice – Doha Khan
• How I started a business with $20 – Noah Pronk
• Q&A with Isabella, Doha & Noah

(c. 47 mins)