Meet the Team
Foster the Future is a charity run by students, for students. We aim to connect high school youths with university student tutors, so that those who want to succeed can.
Foster the Future is a charity run by young people, for young people. We aim to connect high school youths with university student tutors, so that those who want to succeed can.
Our Mission
Children in out of home care often experience disrupted educational experiences and difficulty in keeping up with their peers at school.
The Australian Institute of Family Services has also reported an increased risk of foster children not completing secondary school, and often requiring additional support to do so (Osborn & Bromfield, 2007).
We aim to provide this support, by linking tutors who can help with students who need it.
Our Leadership Team
Tom Bennett
Co-Founder & Director, Head of Technology
Tom is a data scientist working in the field of regulatory analysis. Tom graduated from the University of Sydney with a B. Commerce (Finance, Economics, and Commercial Law). Tom co-founded Foster the Future after seeing how mentoring and support can drastically improve the lives of youth in out of home care.
Grace Roodenrys
Director, Head of Education & Quality
Grace is presently completing a Bachelor of Arts/ Law at the University of Sydney and is working in writing and editing. Grace joined Foster the Future having worked at several professional tutoring firms and seeing the need for tutoring to become more accessible to disadvantaged youth.
Fiona Nguyen
Co-Founder & Director, Head of Finance
Fiona Graduated from The University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Commerce and is presently working in Banking. Having co-founded Foster the Future Fiona is passionate about reducing youth apathy and spurring engagement.
Jeremy Newton
Director, Finance Manager
Jeremy is presently completing his Bachelor of Economics at the University of Sydney and is working in the financial services sector. Jeremy initially joined Foster the Future as a tutor and believes in promoting educational equity especially in Western Sydney.
Joe Bennett
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Joe recently completed his Master of Data Science at the University of Sydney and is now working in Tech. Joe was named a finalist for the NSW Young Australian of the Year and is a deferred candidate for the Harvard Business School MBA Program.
Hayat Horma
Co-Founder & Director
Hayat graduated with an MBA from Insead Business School and is presently working in Tech. Hayat co-founded Foster the Future having previously worked as a tutor with underprivileged students in the United States.
Foster the Future was founded in early 2019 by students from the University of Sydney, who saw a need for change in the educational experience of youth in care. Foster the Future is made possible through the wide ranging support and interest of university students looking to make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged youth.
Our Team
Pictured: Some of our student volunteers at the Foster the Future end of year celebration, 2019.
Foster the Future’s volunteer tutors study a range of degrees at universities across the Greater Sydney region. Each of our tutors have successfully completed high school to a high standard, and are keen to share what they’ve learned to help improve the educational experience of youth in care.
Although our volunteers apply first and foremost as tutors, the fully altruistic ‘lean start-up’ nature of Foster the Future means that we rely on our volunteers to keep our organisation moving. As well as tutoring, many of our volunteers are involved in broader organisational functions including marketing, events, and student engagement.
Each month, we will be showcasing the experience of our current volunteers through a ‘Volunteer Spotlight’ series, as featured below. This includes a tutor profile and some insight into why they have chosen to volunteer with Foster the Future - click an image to read the full quote.
