Vanessa Picker
Nationality: Australia
Organization Name: Play Forward
Impact Region: Oceania
About the Social Business: Play Forward uses sport to build confidence and self-esteem amongst disadvantaged youth. Play Forward exists to enable children to learn and grow, through the power of play, regardless of their background. The social business aims to combine sports and mentorship to build confidence and self-esteem in disadvantaged Australian youth, including those from indigenous populations. Its sport-based programs aim to teach integral life skills, leadership, and cooperation. The Play Forward pre-loved sporting good drives collect and recycle used equipment for children who would otherwise not have access to it. The social enterprise supports disengaged and marginalised children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, whose school completion rates are well below the completion rates for other students.
About the Y&Y Fellow: Vanessa Picker is currently based in Oxford, England. She is a founder at Play Forward and a skilled policy professional, with experience in areas such as social impact investment, outcomes measurement, and data-driven decision making. She has a strong interest in using data analytics to inform solutions to complex policy problems.
Vanessa Picker
Nationality: Australia
Organization Name: Play Forward
Impact Region: Oceania
About the Social Business: Play Forward uses sport to build confidence and self-esteem amongst disadvantaged youth. Play Forward exists to enable children to learn and grow, through the power of play, regardless of their background. The social business aims to combine sports and mentorship to build confidence and self-esteem in disadvantaged Australian youth, including those from indigenous populations. Its sport-based programs aim to teach integral life skills, leadership, and cooperation. The Play Forward pre-loved sporting good drives collect and recycle used equipment for children who would otherwise not have access to it. The social enterprise supports disengaged and marginalised children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, whose school completion rates are well below the completion rates for other students.
About the Y&Y Fellow: Vanessa Picker is currently based in Oxford, England. She is a founder at Play Forward and a skilled policy professional, with experience in areas such as social impact investment, outcomes measurement, and data-driven decision making. She has a strong interest in using data analytics to inform solutions to complex policy problems.
