Southern Cross University's former Young Alumnus of the Year, Nic Brown, is embracing new thinking for Australia's not-for-profit sector in the mission to improve health services where need is greatest.
Mental health, youth suicide and homelessness are among the issues fuelling Nic's resolve to "find new ways to do NFP". However, an already difficult task is no easier for occurring in a post-pandemic society and amid cost-of-living and housing crises.
Though still early in his tenure as CEO of Street Side Medics – the remarkable Sydney-based NFP enabling greater access to primary healthcare for the homeless – Nic's latest role continues more than a decade in the sector since graduating from Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science in 2012.
"I was really uncertain about what I wanted to do with my life and career, so I count myself fortunate for choosing Southern Cross University," he says.
"Coming from the mid-North Coast of NSW, the University was local, smaller, but still highly regarded. On the Lismore campus, it immediately felt like a more intimate study experience and that suited me.
"On top of that, my degree was somewhat unique because it had a management option. I discovered my niche there and that was the career path I eventually followed."
In fact, it led directly to Nic's first job, straight out of university to become Sports Liaison Officer with the City of Newcastle, supporting sport and health programs in the community.
Next came a couple of roles with the Salvation Army, the first of which took him offshore. As Recreation Support Officer, Nic conducted recreation and sporting activities with asylum seekers on the island of Nauru.
"That experience really added to my understanding of need and its different contexts," he says. "I wasn't changing their lives, but I was able to provide little moments of joy and that really fed my desire to help people to thrive and live a good life, whatever that might look like for them."
Returning to Sydney, he became a Program Coordinator running school camps, holiday camps and youth-at-risk programs. He also developed programs and worked across communications, relationships and leadership.
In 2015, Nic's career entered a cathartic phase when he joined batyr, the Sydney-based NFP which uses shared experience and peer-to-peer education to reduce stigma and prevent young people from reaching crisis points that may lead to grievous action.
Of course, suicide is the most grievous, being the largest cause of death among Australians aged 15-44. Such grim statistics affirm the urgency to engage with, and deliver support, to vulnerable young people.
As batyr's Schools Program Manager, Nic developed and implemented the batyr@school program across NSW, Queensland, Victoria and the ACT. Batyr's programs have now reached more than 300,000 young people through face-to-face initiatives and measures around attitudes toward seeking help.
"We know that poor mental health can be a barrier to living a thriving life," says Nic. "When I joined batyr, I was excited by a clear desire there to do NFP a little differently, by generating its own revenue, driving brand recognition, and allowing the organisation to adapt and change as the needs of young people change.
"With both the Salvation Army and batyr, I learnt a lot about the barriers and restraints that NFPs face, especially the notion that for some reason they should operate with a degree of scarcity. It fed the imperative to explore other funding and service options."
Appointed batyr's CEO in late 2019, Nic was barely six months into the position when Covid hit, its impact felt economically, socially and, in many cases, in mental health.
Yet Nic says the pandemic also gave people permission to talk about how they were feeling. Mental health issues were less concealed, he says, enabling a positive shift in attitude and care.
"We also took this opportunity to shift the focus of batyr to online. Once lockdowns finished, we were able to take this new expertise into our core offering. This included developing a new app and bringing in a fully equipped tech team to future proof the organisation and keep our programs relevant and engaging.
Career-wise, joining Street Side Medics early in 2024 is another positive shift. As CEO, Nic has assumed responsibility for the free, GP-led, mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness.
"This is an amazing service. I am so excited to be with such an energetic group of people who are taking medical services to the coalface of health and human need, where the social and human impacts are so great."
Nic says groups like batyr and Street Side Medics punch above their weight in the NFP sector. The same description has often been applied to Southern Cross University in the education sector.
"Along with fond memories of that time in my life and the learning environment that welcomed me, my Southern Cross University degree gave me my first footing in my professional career," says Nic.
"I really wasn't sure of my ambitions or my future direction when I turned up at Lismore campus for my first lecture. What unfolded gave me structures and methodologies that I did not have beforehand and which I continue to use today."
