The Brotherhood of St. Laurence’s annual supporter event celebrated partnership and progress, highlighting Youth Advisor Chloe Sumner’s powerful insights on lived experience and youth leadership in shaping Thrive Hubs that support education, employment, and wellbeing.
The Brotherhood of St. Laurence’s annual supporter event brought together longterm donors, new supporters, and community partners to celebrate progress built through partnership. This year, Youth Advisor Chloe Sumner played a central role, sharing her insights on the importance of lived experience in shaping BSL’s Thrive Hubs.
Held in the State Library’s Conversation Quarter, the event highlighted the role young people play in strengthening programs designed to support their education, employment, and wellbeing. Chloe’s contribution underscored how essential youth leadership is to the Thrive model.
Why lived experience matters
Chloe spoke about why young people with lived experience must be at the centre of designing support systems. She reflected on how her own journey informs her work as a Youth Advisor and why listening to young people leads to more effective and respectful support.
Her perspective reinforced a key message of the event: Thrive Hubs work best when young people are not just participants, but codesigners and decisionmakers.
How Chloe first connected with BSL
Chloe shared what encouraged her to become a Youth Advisor and she first connected with the Frankston Thrive Hub through her role. Her pathway into BSL reflects the core purpose of Thrive Hub, creating a place where young people feel heard, supported, and able to shape their own goals.
Drawing on her lived experience, Chloe described what meaningful support looks like for young people starting out: “I think good support for your vision is just being listened to, being believed in - their strengths, their interests, especially.”
These themes sit at the heart of the Thrive Hub approach and were echoed throughout the event.
While the event also celebrated BSL’s broader impact, including the legacy of longterm supporters and the achievements of Brotherhood Books, Chloe’s contribution stood out as a reminder of why youth voice is essential.
Her presence at the donor event demonstrated the strength of programs built with young people, not just for them, and highlighted the role lived experience plays in creating systems that help young people thrive.
