Who We Are

We are the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation (AKKF). We are a Not‑For‑Profit supporting young people (aged 8‑18) that are living in families affected by mental illness and Defence families impacted by the unique lifestyle of serving in Defence. Since 2002, we have helped young people to connect, learn, and grow through safe, fun, and meaningful programs. Our evidence‑based camps, activity days, and online “Connect” sessions are designed by mental health professionals, delivered in a peer based, recreation led format. Our programs are proven to empower young people to thrive beyond the impacts of familial mental illness.

Check out what we do here https://kookaburrakids.org.au/.

We value Connection, Commitment, Collaboration and Integrity. We stride for impact, and we do this through developing real relationships, flexibility, and a team that supports each other.

If you’re someone who wants your work to matter, who wants to help shape outcomes for young people and bring energy, authenticity, and care into your role, then AKKF is a place where your passion will be put into practice.

About Our Programs

Activity days are single day events that provide an opportunity for children to connect, improve mental health literacy, develop help‑seeking behaviours, and provide a fun day out for some much‑needed respite. Activities can include ice skating, laser tag, bowling, movies, putt‑putt golf, and beach activities just to name a few Activity days may be held on weekdays or weekends.

Camps are multi‑day programs that provide an opportunity for connection, growth, and empowerment. Young people learn about mental illness and help‑seeking behaviours, develop coping skills and resilience, build peer connection,



participate in recreational and connection activities such as canoeing, archery, giant swings, go‑karts and much more Our camps run from 4.00pm Friday to 4.00pm Sunday.

Connect sessions are “hosted” by Kookaburra Kids staff and volunteers online and are designed to be a fun, safe area where young people can express themselves in a supportive environment. Our connect sessions are interactive and follow a similar format as our activity days and camps; incorporating fun with mental health education.

Our camps and day activities are held in various locations across Australia, throughout the year.

The Opportunity

As a member of our Program staff, you will be instrumental in helping to deliver empowering, educational, and fun youth programs in your community. You will have a chance to change the lives of young people. You will be providing leadership to our program teams and volunteers, overseeing the delivery of programs, and coordinating and supporting young people. Our young people, program staff, and volunteers will look to you for support and guidance. This is a role where you get to have real impact, ensuring all the cogs are running smoothly and stepping up when a challenge arises. You will have the opportunity to step into both the Program Support and Program Lead role, depending on program requirements. This means you have variety




- getting to experience all aspects of our programs and develop great experience in the program life cycle. You will receive hands‑on training and ongoing guidance, with continuous support to ensure you’re confident in delivering our programs.

Being part of our Program staff means that you have the flexibility to jump on camps when it suits you This role will be for programs and activities in the Darwin and surrounds area. This is a casual role, where you have the flexibility to work in with your other commitments. You will be attending a program roughly every few weeks, but there is opportunity to attend additional programs. You will be supported by a outstanding team; our programs are staffed by a Program Lead, Program Support, multiple Volunteers, plus a Mental Health Clinician. You will be part of a collaborative team delivering programs, working together to ensure our Young People are supported, safe, and engaged.

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for someone who brings initiative, a love of recreation, and a passion for promoting youth wellbeing. You love big pictures and will be able to understand how the different parts of a program need to seamlessly come together. You'll be able to monitor multiple things (and people, lots of people) at the same time, identifying challenges before they escal… You’re probably a big kid at heart, a fan of kicking the footy, mucking about and having a laugh. You're also someone who can sit and hold space for the deeper conversations; you know how to read a situation, understanding when the right time and place is. This is an opportunity for someone who wants to combine their love of outdoors recreation with helping young people; someone who can combine pa

📌 Program Staff (Darwin)
🏢 Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation
📍 Darwin