A BETTER future designed with disadvantaged YOUNG PEOPLE
We employ and support disadvantaged young people to design systems, services and policies that build better futures.
We are the proud winner of the 2025 Good Design Award of the Year and Best in Class across two categories (Social Impact, Education & Service Design) for our project, Deadly Democracy.
We also took home a Gold Good Design Award and Victorian Premier’s Design Award Best in Category (Design Strategy) for our project, Co-designing a Plan for Victoria.
OUR CLIENTS
Our model
DOUBLE THE IMPACT
We don’t just design better systems, we employ and train disadvantaged young people to lead the work themselves - doubling the impact of our partnerships.
Our model embeds disadvantaged young people in our projects through meaningful, paid employment. By combining hands-on work with training and support, they help design better systems and services that affect their lives, while also building their own skills, confidence and career pathways.
Our work
2025 IMPACT SNAPSHOT
270
10,000+
50c
Of every dollar went directly to employing and training young people
Hours of paid work for young people
Young people engaged, coached and trained
200+
95%
Young people employed since YLab began in 2016
Of young people said that their skills increased
Solving complex problems
THE WORK WE DO
We employ the very same disadvantaged young people who engage with our clients’ services, strategies and campaigns. This enables us to move beyond conventional problem-solving and create lasting solutions.
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Building Co-Design Capability at VicHealth
We collaborated with VicHealth to equip staff with the skills and confidence to meaningfully co-design public health solutions with disadcantaged young people.
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Good News Melton: Local, Youth-led Storytelling
We received funding from the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to place disadvantaged young people at the heart of the City of Melton’s storytelling, challenge negative stereotypes and elevate authentic, community voices.
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Deadly Democracy
We partnered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to create Deadly Democracy: an initiative empowering First Nations young leaders across Australia with the skills and knowledge to better engage in our democratic process.
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Co-designing a plan for Victoria
We partnered with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to meaningfully embed disadvantaged young people’s insights and ideas into the department’s Plan for Victoria.
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From Strategy to Shared Power: A Youth-Led Forum at Parliament House
We co-designed the Victorian Youth Strategy Forum, an event led by disadvantaged young people at Parliament House in partnership with the Office for Youth.
FUTURE OF WORK: UNLOCKING GEN Z’S POTENTIAL IN THE WORKFORCE
A YLab insights paper on fostering intergenerational cohesion in the Australian workplace, through the lens of young people.
Co-design & facilitation
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Strategic & service design
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Creative & media services
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First Nations co-design
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Research & insights
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Learning & development
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Lived experience advisory
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Youth engagement
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Co-design & facilitation ● Strategic & service design ● Creative & media services ● First Nations co-design ● Research & insights ● Learning & development ● Lived experience advisory ● Youth engagement ●
“Working with YLab is a meaningful, human, connected experience free from many of the factors of consultancy that don't feel genuine or unique to your own work.”
Sue Osmond, Program Delivery Manager, Life Ed Qld
