THE DIFFERENCE WE WANT TO MAKE
As a society we’ve lost the art of conversation. It seems we can’t talk through issues without yelling at each other anymore. This is something that we want to change. We want to have productive conversations where everyone listens, and everyone learns. This is especially important for racism - which is intensely personal issue for many people in this world.
For our founder, Jamal Elsheikh, it is something that he knows all too well. Having immigrated to Australia from Sudan in 2016, he has dealt with racism as a regular part of his life as long for as he can remember, “it’s just part of the journey for every person from a diverse background.” In 2019, Jamal met Joel Buncle, our other co-founder - and together they started building One Love Australia. Since that point in time they’ve been on a mission to eliminate structural racism from the world.
Our focus for the future is not in telling people what to think or do. Instead, it is in sharing real stories that create a genuine human connection. We hope these stories start more conversations that lead to meaningful outcomes and a fairer world for all.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Nominated for 7News Young Achiever Awards
The Bridge Create Change Award recognises young people that are driving activities, programs and initiatives that promote or create change.
Launched Reflect Forward
We launched an all of sport movement, starting with cricket - partnering with Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers' Association. It allows sporting organisations and athletes talk about racism to help educate a broad audience and creates impact in local communities via educational resources and outreach.
Launched #ShareThePlatform Campaign
A momentus day for One Love Australia where we launched the #ShareThePlatform campaign with over 60 collaborators to raise awareness about black, indigenous and people of colour founders via a series of interviews with highly successful figures.
SPARK Deakin Accelerator
We were one of five businesses selected for Deakin University's accelerator program, SPARK. The program runs for three months and will continue to provide us with support and growth opportunities.
ABC Article on Educating Your Kids
We wrote an article for the ABC has the Black Lives Matter began to rise to prominence again. It focused on meaningful change and educating yourself. Read Article.
Canva & Atlassian "Challenge for Change"
We were invited to create a social impact challenge around racism for millions of students worldwide as apart of a campaign that Canva & Atlassian created to help students learn about the UN's Sustainability Development Goals - we were one of 17 organisations asked to participate.
ABC Kindess Hero
Jamal was nominated for ABC's Kindness Heroes campaign and was the first winner to be highlighted in a video. The video highlights the work we do in schools and the methods we encourage students to use.
Creative Cubes Pitch Winner
We were a successful pitch winner at the 2020 Creative Cubes "Pitch For A Spot" competition. Providing us with desk space for free for the next 12 months as well as access to some of the best and brightest in the space to continue developing our business.
ygap Growth Funding
After being shortlisted from 12 businesses to 4 as apart of ygap's "First Gens" accelerator program, we pitched for and received $15,000 worth of funding. We also won the audience award at the pitch night taking home an additional $2000.
First School Workshop
We launched our first school workshop in Victoria that educated high school students about racism and its impact on people. We encourage students to have courageous conversations and consider their own view on the world. These workshops have since been developed into a structured offering for schools.
TEDx Monash University Talk
After hearing the story of the "Kia Kaha" concert that we organised in Christchurch, TEDx Monash University invited us to speak about our experience in organising a concert and what we hoped it would achieve.
ygap First Gens
We were accepted into ygap's 4-month accelerator program for businesses with a social impact. This program offered mentorship and guidance in developing our business as well as the opportunity to pitch for funding at the end.
Kia Kaha Christchurch Concert
In response to the Christchurch terror attack in March 2019, we organised a concert that aimed to bring the tight knit community together. We brought across artists from Australia to show solidarity and featured a range of speakers on the night.
One Love Australia Founded
Jamal developed the idea of One Love Australia in its essence shortly before meeting our other co-founder Joel Buncle. Individually they knew the impact that racism had. Together they decided to do something about it.
Monash Uni's Leave No One Behind
Jamal Elshiekh completed and won Monash University's "Leave No One Behind" competition for an initiative he developed whilst studying his MBA. This is where the essense of One Love came from. Read Article.