Tony Sharp is the founder of Substation33, one of Queensland’s leading social enterprises — delivering environmental and social outcomes across southeast Queensland and internationally.
“Substation33 has a purpose. We’re a good employer. We have fantastic staff who have been here a long time. And our projects make a difference for thousands of people.”
Tony began at YFS as a youth social worker in 2010. Working with at-risk young people, Tony quickly realised the widespread shortage of practical learning opportunities across the state.
“I just wanted to make a difference in young people’s lives.”
“Young people need to work. They need money.”
“One of the biggest challenges [in society] is a lack of practical skills. There are so many training organisations that deliver inappropriate training to people who are not interested. It’s not the way of the world.”
For Tony, Substation33 was a way of bridging this gap. And in 2012, with the support of the YFS Board, the social enterprise was born.
“We have a multi-purpose mission. The e-waste recycling is the core part of our model: it’s easy for people to work with, you don’t have to get it right all the time, and it reduces landfill.”
“We’re not an academic exercise. We’re a practical exercise. Some people just want to work with their hands, and we give them that opportunity. That’s the passion of Substation33.”
“The YFS Board have been amazing to Substation33, and [former CEO] Cath and [YFS CEO] Christopher have been our number one supporters.”
Substation33, under Tony’s direction, has become a haven: an essential piece of the puzzle for at-risk youth in achieving positive futures.
“We give young people a place to actually feel safe.”
“We help people who have been marginalised from mainstream employment. The way out of poverty is through work. Substation33 is part of people’s way out: having purpose, having meaning, and having money in the bank.”
Tony’s goal is for Substation33 to keep expanding, maximising its reach and giving more at-risk youth pathways to hopeful futures.
“We have to keep the door open, keep our staff employed. That’s what I lose sleep over.”
“What keeps me showing up to work every day is knowing that I’ve got to grow Substation33 to be bigger so that I can get out. The stories of the people I work with give me motivation to do that.”
If you would like to learn more about Substation33’s mission, impact, and ongoing projects, please follow the link below.
