In October 2014, two best mates had a world-first idea - providing a free mobile laundry service for people experiencing homelessness. On a mission to improve hygiene standards, Nic and Lucas, the 2016 Young Australians of the Year and Order of Australia Medalists stumbled on something much bigger and more significant – the power of a conversation to achieve goals and change lives.
Are you looking to foster a culture of innovation, disruption and creativity in your team? Be inspired by the team behind Orange Sky Australia who took a great idea and made it reality. Learn about their journey and the power of risk, failure, conversation and connection to achieve your leadership goals.
With Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett
On a mission to improve hygiene standards for the 116,000 people experiencing homelessness across Australia, Nicholas Marchesi and Lucas Patchett stumbled on something much bigger and more significant – the power of a conversation.
Orange Sky now operates 36 services across 25 locations in Australia and three services across two locations in New Zealand, with continued expansion across both countries. The focus is on creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or feel disconnected from the community.
Since 2014, Orange Sky has provided friends on the street with more than 1,900,000kg of free laundry, over 20,000 warm, safe showers, and more than 330,000 hours of genuine and non-judgemental conversation.
Innovation is in the DNA of Orange Sky. Orange Sky continues to priorities finding ways to deliver on its mission through evolving its service offerings and projects. One way this has been done is when Orange Sky won the Google Impact Challenge Grant to take its purpose built technology and further build it to support the not-for-profit sector and improve the volunteer lifecycle. 'Volaby' supports dozens of small and large charities across the world to innovate, make data-driven decisions, and harness technology for good.
Orange Sky, under the leadership of Nic and Lucas, are committed to delivering on our 2025 vision to help more than 40,000 people.
Part of the Learning from Bold Minds in Leadership series
Learning from Bold Minds in Leadership is a leadership development opportunity for staff at all levels.
In times of change, uncertainty and complexity, strong leadership is critical - at all levels of the organisation. The Learning from Bold Minds in Leadership series has been designed to inspire and challenge you to be a bold and courageous leader, regardless of whether you hold a designated leadership role.
Find out more about the series.
Resources
A recording is available to registered participants and was distributed via email after the event.
If you have any difficulty accessing the resources, please contact CAUL National Office (caul@caul.edu.au).