What we do
Substation33 is a social enterprise initiative of YFS that has operated since 2012. It was founded by Tony Sharp to respond to the need to provide a workplace where people from long term unemployment and marginalised backgrounds could gain confidence and skills to transition to sustainable employment. A second motivator was to address the increasing amounts of electronic equipment going to landfill. Tony saw the potential to recycle, repurpose and reuse e-waste to reduce negative environmental impacts.
Ten years on, Substation33 is a vibrant and successful social enterprise. We now employ approximately 40 staff and since 2019 have seen over 1200 volunteers amass a collective 100,000 hours of volunteering, and assisted more than 500 people in their transition to mainstream employment and/or training and further education. We are well known for our inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds and abilities. We provide people with opportunities to gain:
Skills | Training | Confidence | Employment
We have two locations:
31 Mary St, Kingston - our main e-waste facility
21 Aranda St, Slacks Creek - our Containers for Change facility
Our Vision: Building independence and participation.
Our Purpose: Back vulnerable people to overcome adversity and thrive.
Our Values:
Excellence: We deliver high quality services and have high expectiations
Integrity: We act honestly and openly
Optomisim:We think and act with confidence about people and the future
Steadfastness: We persist to overcome barriers and adversity for our clients
Courage: We challenge ourselves and others to create change
YFS has a long history of working with and empowering First Nations peoples. The YFS Cultural Framework sets out our continuing commitment and the actions we will take as a community member, a service provider, and an employer to back First Nations peoples to achieve their aspirations and thrive
Our workplace is supportive and non-judgemental and has a unique way of breathing life and purpose into all who come through our doors.
Our goal is to send people back out into their community more aware of what it means to live in a sustainable manner personally and environmentally.
Our commitment is to improve our social and ecological environment through our enterprise and by working with others who provide opportunities for disadvantaged people and who are devoted to repurposing e-waste into innovative products. This includes:
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Individuals
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Community organisations
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Schools
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Businesses
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Industry
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Local and State Government
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Universities
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Entrepreneurs
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Not for profits