Jono's story

I actually can't believe it, but as I write this I've been working at Starlight for 8 years TODAY.

Even though it was 8 years ago, I vividly remember seeing the Livewire Facilitator advertisement on Seek.

At the time, I was on tour in the US/UK with my band when I received an email from a friend sharing a job they found that 'looked perfect for me'. Pffft, I was a muso on a world tour... I didn't need no job!!

I opened the email and read that I could work with young people, use my creative skills to run workshops with the aim of increasing wellbeing and social connection for young people living with chronic illness and disability. "Uhhhh, OK, that actually looks pretty amazing," I thought.

My friend was right, it truly was perfect for me!! For some context, I left a great role as a high school teacher at a wonderful private school to pursue a career in music (much to my parents' dismay!). I missed working with young people as a teacher, but I wasn't ready to go back to full time teaching (my dreams of being a world famous DJ weren't over yet!). I turned up to the audition/interview and saw Kylie Johnson and Rosa Rintoul (who has now left Starlight after many wonderful years managing Livewire) welcoming people into the room. The interview went well and I vividly remember leaving the interview with a feeling of how great the culture was at Starlight. Jono Brand was working in the Brisbane office at the time and I remember having a great chat to him (and thought how funny and cool he was, especially with those big glasses). Kylie and Rosa were so authentic and created such a fun and positive environment. I just HAD to work at this place. No question.

I still have that same feeling of excitement and gratitude about working at Starlight. All of us who work here know how great our culture is - we are supportive, positive, and have trusting and authentic relationships. We also have a strong purpose which differentiates us from a lot of other organisations, and we know that having meaning in our roles is one of the biggest factors in being happy and satisfied at work. As I write this, I realise I'm talking about positive psychology and PERMAH (shout out to Mel Barker).

I have witnessed Starlight change and grow over these 8 years, and I admire how sophisticated our programs and organisation have always been. I do think our focus on innovation has been a real turning point for us which you can see with the design of programs like Moments, Healthier Futures, and the work on the Virtual SER that we are now doing.

Also, the way we raise money through digital fundraising campaigns like Super Swim is some of the best in the world and played a huge role in allowing us to battle through the perils of COVID. No wonder we are the most innovative NFP in Australia!

I'm also proud of the fact the impact Starlight has on children, young people, and families is significant. We don't think it is, we know it is. We know because of rigorous evaluations we do on our programs, where we actually speak with families. We know from feedback via health professionals that Starlight isn't just a 'nice to have'; we are an essential part of the healthcare system in providing total care to all children and young people.

I am lucky to have had the opportunity to work in a few different roles here at Starlight. I started as a Livewire Facilitator in Brisbane, then jumped into a secondment position as the Newcastle Program Manager and transitioned to the Livewire Program Development Lead and running Ignitions, designing Starlight's first ever VR training program, and travelling to India to present at the International Adolescent Health conference about Livewire. Presenting in India with Sarah Moeller.

In 2017, an incredible opportunity opened up to manage a brand new team called The Hub to build upon all of the amazing collaborations Starlight had been doing with thought leading organisations around the world. With a superstar team including big names like Andy Bell, Kathryn Tohill, Jono Brand, Bridget Waters, Tamika Umina, we managed to create some of the craziest and impactful experiences for kids in hospital - something I'm very proud of to this day.

Now working with the Wishgranting, Livewire Online, The Hub teams and our incredible Captain Starlight Creative Director, Jono Brand, things have never been busier and more exciting. I am so grateful for the past 8 years and just writing this today makes me SO excited for what's to come for us as an organisation and how we can continue to brighten the lives of kids and teens all over the country.