"This story of Orange Sky really started a few years, before Orange Sky got kicked off in high school, my best mate, Nic and I went to school together and our school actually ran a food service for people doing it tough. So we had this opportunity when we were 15, to head out, cook breakfast for people, a kilometre from where we went to school who were sleeping in the park or sleeping, crisis accommodation centres around that centre." - Lucas Patchett
In the latest episode of the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose podcast series, we chat with Lucas Patchett, who is the co-founder of Orange Sky alongside his best mate Nic Marchesi.
Orange Sky is a platform that provides "for every day Australians to connect through a regular laundry and shower service. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community. Our volunteers are not social workers or experts on homelessness - they are empathetic listeners and great conversationalists."
Dr. Taylor Wilmott, a member of the University of Adelaide's research team for the Collective Engagement for Social Purpose research project, also joins us in this episode.
"So we spoke about a different food van, we spoke about showers in the first instance to, but then we said, "Well, actually let's just do one thing, do it well, give it a go and then we can build on it from there." And that I think has been a really key foundation to what we do now. It's really simple. It's doing a couple of things really well and then plugging in and collaborating with other service providers to make the biggest impact possible." - Lucas Patchett
Discussed in this episode:
- The importance of prioritising one thing at a time.
- How to overcome challenges and flip roadblocks into positive outcomes.
- Why you should have a clear and simple vision.
To check out everything Orange sky does head to: https://orangesky.org.au/
To access the transcript for this episode: Collective Engagement for Social Purpose episode four with Lucas Patchett and Dr. Taylor Willmott
About the Author
In October 2014, Lucas Patchett co-founded Orange Sky alongside his best mate Nic Marchesi. Together, they built the first van and Orange Sky was born, the foundation for which thousands more people would be helped over the coming years. Awarded You...