Not long now until the SIITR25 National Pitchfest finalists present to a national delegation of around 200 people at the third annual Social Impact in the Regions conference held in Grafton, NSW.
SIITR25 Pitchfest will be opened by 2024 winner, Amanda di Medici, founder of Yenom.
“A lot has happened in the past year,” Amanda says. “And I credit most of it to the SIITR24 National Pitchfest. It created a turning point. I now have a strategic partner who’s helped grow multi-million-dollar companies, a rebranded business with a mission-first model, and a beta product about to roll out to corporate markets. That night changed everything.”
This year’s finalists are: Techa Beaumont, Seed Northern Rivers; Jameson Harvey, Red Dirt Robotics; Jayden Sheridan, Gnarly Neighbours Inc; Carol Mudford, SHedway; and Paul Dutton, Child & Family Wellbeing Hub Tresillian Grafton, Family Spirit & First 2000 Days Program (more on each finalist follows).
The pitch-ees will present at the Grafton Cathedral on the first evening of SIITR25 for a prize pool including support from StartSomeGood and a ticket to SIITR26. Pitchfest is also supported by Courtney from Alt Collective who has been part of the event since it commenced in 2023.
All Pitchees have received a free ticket to attend SIITR25, a significant investment in regional changemakers. We are seeking additional partners to give even more support to our pitchees in 2026 and beyond. Is this you? Jump in !
And the pitchees are…
Techa Beaumont, Seed Northern Rivers: Northern Rivers Changemaker Collective
Seed Northern Rivers exists to amplify the impact of those regenerating our region — from the ground up. For 16 years, we’ve supported local grassroots leaders and their initiatives to restore ecosystems, secure local food systems, and build resilient communities. But in 2025, through a region-wide survey and consultation process, changemakers across the Northern Rivers told us clearly: they’re burning out, disconnected, and under-resourced. That’s why we’re launching the Changemaker Collective and Giving Circle — a bold new program that provides core funding, training, mentoring, and peer support to the people driving regeneration in our region. Our impact? A thriving ecosystem of passionate locals who are equipped to have impact on issues that matter – to lead with care, collaborate across silos, and meet the complexity of this moment with courage and creativity for a regenerative and resilient Northern Rivers region.
Jameson Harvey, Red Dirt Robotics
At Red Dirt Robotics, I want to make STEM exciting, hands on, and accessible for young people in the bush. Too often, kids in regional and remote communities miss out on opportunities that their city counterparts take for granted. Through workshops in robotics, coding, and drones, I aim to break down that barrier and show students that they can be engineers, programmers, and tech creators no matter where they live. The impact I’m working towards is long term: building confidence, sparking curiosity, and opening doors to careers they might never have imagined. My goal is to create real pathways into tech and future focused industries, starting with early engagement and growing into employment programs like our drone training initiative. By backing young people in regional Australia with the tools and belief that they belong in STEM, we can reshape what opportunity looks like out here.
Jayden Sheridan, Gnarly Neighbours Inc
I started Gnarly Neighbours with six skateboards and the hope of building something better than what I grew up with. At 15 I was couch surfing, out of school, and surrounded by negative influences. At 17 when I found out I was going to be a dad I made the choice to change the story, not just for me but for other young people who felt like they didn’t have a shot. Now that dream has grown into Gnarly Neighbours and our youth-led social enterprise space, The Neighbourhood. Together we deliver free programs every day of the week. This includes skateboarding sessions, creative workshops, and a full wraparound of wellbeing programs. We offer before-school breakfasts to make sure young people start their day fed and supported. We run in-school sessions focused on confidence, respect, and stress management. In the past year alone, operating from one site, we’ve reached over 41,000 participants, directly impacted 9,000 young people, worked with 20 schools, and reached more than 6,300 students. These numbers reflect something deeper. Young people who feel safe, seen, and supported. This is about prevention that works. It’s about connection. It’s about giving kids a reason to show up.
Carol Mudford, SHedway
I want to see everyone in the shearing sheds looking after their mental health as well as a shearer looks after their shearing gear – or even better! sHedway is a growing team of people from the shearing sheds working to: – make it normal to talk about mental health in the sheds – share the skills to recognise and help someone (and ourselves) when at risk of suicide, including going to the experts for help when needed We do this by running stalls at shearing events across Australia, and workshops at shearing schools and in shearing sheds.
Paul Dutton, Child & Family Wellbeing Hub Tresillian Grafton, Family Spirit & First 2000 Days Program
The Family Spirit Program is a global initiative delivering culturally respectful early intervention program to First Nation Communities as developed by John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health originally developed in early 1990’s. The John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health is dedicated to addressing disparities in Indigenous Health globally. The Family Spirit Program sought and gained funding from LEGO Foundation Build A World Of Play Challenge. The Child & Family Wellbeing Hub (The Hub) is honoured to be a small team who have been included in the Foundation Challenge. The Hub has a small team of one First 2000 Days Manager, two part time Co-Ordinators (24 hrs per week) and a Social Worker (2 days per week). The Hub engages with any families requiring assistance with their pregnancy and wellbeing through til the child reaching the age of 5 years of age. The Hub presents community with groups at the Hub to support social engagement and knowledge for any family wishing to participate free of charge. However, the Hub also has very limited funds to be able to develop specific programs to community and ensure Hub can financially support those programs that need to be paid for to deliver to community. The Hub would ideally like to present courses, community want and fund the delivery by experts and knowledge holders that require funding to deliver.
