FROM PERTH TO FLORIDA

HOW OUR COMMUNITY PUT US ON THE WORLD STAGE

MCDONALD'S GLOBAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS

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Congratulations to Simon Thurston for winning the McDonald’s Global Volunteer Award (Jobs, Inclusion & Empowerment, representing Burn Bright). A fantastic achievement that is anchored in Simon’s servant leadership and a deep desire to make a positive impact in the lives of young people.

IT BEGAN WITH A CONVERSATION

Simon Thurston, a Learning Experience Design Consultant on the McDonald’s Global Learning and Development Team, struck up a conversation with our CEO Andy Skidmore in late 2018. What began as a conversation soon evolved into Simon becoming a larger part of our Burn Bright community. At the beginning of 2019 Simon was invited to the Perth College Leadership Camp, facilitated by Burn Bright, to judge on our Dolphin Tank challenge where students put together an innovative idea to solve an issue affecting our society at the moment.

Wanting to find more ways to give back to young people and being passionate about coaching and mentoring, Simon returned to the Perth College Leadership Camp in 2020 and 2021 as a mentor, coaching young people through the 4 days of camp, and volunteered on several Burn Bright school programs in Perth. As we moved into 2022 where it became harder for the Burn Bright team to get over to Western Australia to run the camp due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Simon stepped into the role of Camp Manager, co-ordinating the 4 days of camp and 2 days of mentor training on the ground in Perth.

FINDING A COMMUNITY

We’ve always been really focussed on having our community be more than just a badge and a weekly email, but an actual opportunity for people to contribute to the lives of young people across Australia and New Zealand. When first volunteering with Burn Bright, Simon found his passions of coaching, mentoring, and helping others grow come together in an environment where he was able to give back to the younger generation.

Simon is a cornerstone of our community in Australia and, with so many of our awesome volunteers over in Perth, he’s been the glue that has kept these young people on the track to flourishing.

We believe the key to great community is being intentional in building relationships, and having people come together over a common purpose. Simon embodies these two things, always going the extra mile to have a conversation and make people feel at home, and being driven to make a difference to the way people learn and lead both inside and outside of his job.

"The people, the connections. I love everyone that I have met who works or volunteers with Burn Bright. They are a fantastic community of wonderful human beings who I am proud to call friends."

WHAT IS THE MCDONALD'S GLOBAL VOLUNTEER AWARD?

The McDonald’s Global Volunteer Award exists to celebrate and champion the causes that McDonald’s staff from around the world are passionate about. Each year, anyone from within the McDonald’s System is eligible to win $25,000 for their favourite charity, with a catch.

Each winner had to be passionate about the charitable cause, and actively dedicating their time and talent to make a meaningful difference in others’ lives.

With hundreds of nominations submitted and stories from around the globe of the charities that McDonald’s staff volunteered at – there were 4 winners announced on April 5th, 2022.

Each winning charity represented an area of McDonald’s Purpose and Impact.

Burn Bright was selected for Jobs, Inclusion & Empowerment. As an organisation that seeks to grow future leaders and give young people opportunities to understand and apply their influence, we were so grateful to receive this recognition on the world stage.

Seeing Simon’s contribution to our mission, and investment into not only the young people we work with but the other mentors and leaders he volunteered alongside being recognised makes us so proud, and we were excited for him to also have an opportunity to celebrate this win over in the United States with a special guest.

FLYING TO FLORIDA

Born and raised in Whangarei, New Zealand but living in Perth, Western Australia – Simon hasn’t been able to see his father in 2 years. When he was selected to win this award alongside Burn Bright, part of the award was a trip over to Orlando, Florida where the McDonald’s 2022 Worldwide Convention is happening.

Seeing this as an incredible opportunity to have some time to reconnect with his father and bring him into the experience of this award, Simon and his dad flew across the world and arrived at the Convention in Orlando to accept the award in person.

From a conversation in Perth in 2018, to accepting an award in Orlando in 2022; Simon’s Burn Bright journey has been a rollercoaster but one we are so grateful to have had him by our side for. His passion for helping young people, optimism and enthusiasm in the face of challenging situations, and willingness to always be there for the people he cares about has brought him to where he is. We can’t wait to see what’s next in the future for Simon both inside and outside the Burn Bright community.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

We’re surprised and grateful to receive an award like this. Recognition from one of the world’s largest businesses is never something we take lightly and to see the impact we’ve been able to have on young people and members of our community is a humbling and motivating experience.

The money awarded to us from McDonald’s is a kickstarter in our plans to increase our program capacity. Using this, we plan to expand our facilitation team and increase our resource efficiency, lifting the scale of our programs so we can make a difference to more young people across Australia and New Zealand.

We hope to create more investment in our Burn Bright community over the coming years, whether that be finding new ways to expand our team or bringing more people into our vision of a world where all young people flourish, understand their influence, and impact the world selflessly.

If you’d like to be a member of our community, we have a range of ways you can continue your leadership journey with us.

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Close Marvin's Bio

I found Burn Bright in the midst of studying civil engineering at the University of Wollongong, just as I wanted a richer, deeper, more full experience of life.

Through Burn Bright, I have met many students and volunteers who are all seeking to find their place in the world. When we come together at NLC or SLC, no matter our age, we begin on the same page, of wanting to do good for ourselves, our community, and the world. And then we are thrown into a program that brings us closer to each other, our purpose, and how to bring forth this impact. It’s like having your cake and eating it too.

Volunteering with Burn Bright stoked a fire in me – It helped me feel comfortable in myself and made me realise life isn’t just about work, study, or productivity, but our relationships and how we connect with others along the way.

I have learned skills in videography, worked for a top-tier corporation in marketing, and most recently published a book called “18 and lost? So were we” 

I have a passion for storytelling, bring loads of energy wherever I go, and am dedicated to helping young people move through the initiation of leaving high school and going into the ‘real world’. 

The best part for me is being able to stay connected to the latest generation growing through high school. To see them grow, expand and express more of themselves is like watching an artwork paint itself. It’s magic.

Close Simon's Bio

I am Simon Thurston, a Kiwi based in Perth. I work as an Instructional Designer and in my spare time I enjoy reading, running, and board games.

Since my initial connection to Burn Bright I have been onboard with their mission. Burn Bright’s focus on building the capabilities enables students of all ages to see how they can shape their world through connections with others and their own self discovery.

Seeing others grow, learn, and open up is what keeps me coming back, to help others realise their potential and how they can influence their future and their community is a definite highlight. It’s infectious, the atmosphere when they run a program or camp is welcoming, exciting, emotional, and rewarding all in one.

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Close Kelsie's Bio

Hi, friends! I’m Kelsie, a psychologist from central QLD working in private practice. I got involved with Burn Bright officially in 2016, but the journey started long before that. I attended the National Leadership Camp (now hosted annually by Burn Bright) in 2009. It had such a profound impact on me that I returned as a mentor and volunteer. Those connections ultimately lead me to joining the Burn Bright team as an adult.

When I transitioned from facilitating with the Burn Bright team to working as a psychologist, I was so grateful for an incredible foundation of skills (particularly facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills) along with a strong grounding in positive psychology that Burn Bright integrates into their ethos.

I can’t imagine my life without volunteering for Burn Bright. I have met some of my dearest friends through the Burn Bright crew. I’ve found that volunteering for BB is rewarding, humbling, and often brings as much personal growth for the volunteer as it does for the young person.

From a professional perspective, I love that Burn Bright programs/camps support the adolescent individuation process by providing an exciting and supportive environment for teens to explore their own sense of self, personality, identify and values alongside other young people.

Imagine this POV: you’re back at school wanting to figure everything out and fit in – and you find
yourself in a room with amazing music that uplifts you and hooks you in. You meet the team of
dynamic, interesting, caring facilitators whose own friendships inspire you. Their facilitation skills bring about amazing light-bulb moments and lessons that light a fire inside you… It makes me want to feel that for myself again. The next best thing, for me, is volunteering for the team who passes that on to other young people.

Close Nick's Bio

My start at Burn Bright is one of the best cases of one door closing and another door opening. After losing my job at a local pub while on uni holidays, I started looking for new opportunities that were different and decided to volunteer. Searching for opportunities, I found working bees, community driving and nursing home visits, but the chance to become a National Leadership Camp intern stood out. Over nearly six months, I worked with the team to pull off Burn Bright’s first National Leadership Camp, and had an absolute blast in the process. After camp, I started working for Burn Bright while studying, doing anything and everything — data analysis, hiring strategy and even picking up furniture.

Finishing up working for Burn Bright in 2019, I am still actively involved with the Burn Bright volunteer community. I’ve found that the emphasis placed on investing in your relationships, understanding your values and making an impact allow you to be accepted for you. This has given me the tools needed to make the difficult decisions that life will inevitably throw at you. Besides all that, I’ve had a ton of fun and formed life-long friendships with people I may have never crossed paths with otherwise. “Get involved — you’ll change your life for the better and make life‑long friends in the process”.

Close Lindsey's Bio

I am a health science student from Perth wanting to get into the mental health realm of occupational therapy. In the meantime, I work as a barista and supervisor at a beachside café. In my spare time, I love to play netball, be around my friends and I have just gotten into crocheting. I went to Perth College where I was lucky enough to go to the first Perth College Leadership Camp in 2018 as a student and absolutely loved it. What really drew me in was the atmosphere that was created, the open conversations, and the lasting relationships formed.

Since then I have been a mentor for the Perth College Leadership Camp in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and had the opportunity to go to the National Leadership Camp in 2019. When Burn Bright comes to Perth I also love helping out at their programs as much as I can.

Volunteering for Burn Bright has given me so much that I could never have imagined. I have learned so much about myself and I have so much more confidence in myself and my abilities that I know I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t exposed to the amazing opportunities volunteering for Burn Bright has given me. Before being involved I would never have seen myself being a mentor, role model, and facilitator to students, but now I can confidently say that I am, and I have made an impact on others that I am proud of. I have also made so many meaningful connections to so many amazing people from all around Australia through Burn Bright. I get asked quite a bit why I keep coming back to my old school to volunteer and it’s simply because I was given this amazing opportunity to be a part of the Burn Bright programs and if I can help facilitate that experience to someone else then why wouldn’t I?

Close Peter's Bio

I was born in Perth and moved to Sydney in my early 20’s to continue work as a youth worker and surfboard maker. This was followed by 30 years working in IT as a computer programmer.

Following retirement in 2016 I searched for an organisation that was aligned with my values of servant leadership and service, especially in the youth space. This search led to Burn Bright where I am now volunteering one day a week and mentoring at the National Leadership Camp. Volunteering with Burn Bright gives me a great deal of hope and confidence in the next generation of leaders. It is a pleasure to be a part of the Burn Bright family.

I have been married to Denise for 41 years and we both very much feel part of the Burn Bright team.

When not at Burn Bright you may find me running along Manly beach, riding my mountain bike or indulging in my passion for photography.

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Close Rosie's Bio

Hi! I’m Rosie, a 20-something full-time public servant, part-time Tassie tourism advocate.

I am passionate about seeing young people succeed, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching them become the next generation of change-makers.

I have been a champion of the ethos and work of Burn Bright since its inception in 2014, and consider them to be the leading experts in their field. By delivering impactful leadership and wellbeing programs to students across Australia, they offer the knowledge, skills and engagement to invoke lasting positive change in school communities.

The Burn Bright team are dedicated, inclusive and values-driven, which is why I love working with them.

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