We’re stepping up: Our bold new five-year strategy
We’re excited to share something big. We’ve announced our new five-year strategy - and it’s a bold new era for TRACTION.
Across Australia, more and more young people are at risk of disengaging from school, training and opportunity. We see it every day. And while we’re proud of the hands-on, mentoring-based programs we’ve built alongside young people, we know the moment calls for more. Much more.
This strategy marks a shift in how we grow our programs, influence the environments around young people, and help shape the systems that impact their future pathways. It’s about acting earlier, going deeper and creating change that lasts.
Our Founder and Chair, Sandy Murdoch, says this moment is a turning point.
“This new strategy is about protecting what makes TRACTION so special while ensuring we can reach more young people and influence the environments that shape their lives” says Sandy. “It’s a significant gear change, and one we believe is essential.”
What we’re focusing on
Our priority is still supporting young people aged 10–16 who are at risk of disengaging from school - because early intervention matters and what we do works. Alongside this, we’re also strengthening pathways for older adolescents who need clearer connections to work, training and purpose.
Over the next five years, we’re committing to:
Deepening our programs in more communities across Queensland
Piloting and learning from new place-based and partnership models
Expanding partnerships with educators and wider influencing systems to prevent disengagement earlier
Building long-term sustainability through strategic, vision-aligned partnerships.
This strategy is ambitious, and it needs to be.
As detailed in our 2025 Annual Report, 63,000 young people are disengaging from education today. By 2030, this is projected to rise to 283,000 young people aged 10-14.
The social and economic cost of failing to intervene early has grown from $15.2B in 2019 to $22.3B in 2024. On current trajectories, that figure could increase by a further $1.96B every year.
Our CEO, Annabel Prescott, says this strategy is about tackling the issue where it starts.
“This is a crisis, and evidence tells us the systems around young people simply aren’t working,” says Annabel. “This strategy is about scaling our programs, earlier and more deliberately, while working alongside educators, partners and systems to create lasting change. When we intervene earlier and join forces, young people don’t fall through the cracks - they move forward with confidence and purpose.”
Same heart. Bigger impact.
This next phase isn’t about changing who we are, it’s about amplifying it.
As Sandy puts it:
“TRACTION was built by listening to young people, meeting them where they are and responding with practical, real-world support that helps them reconnect with confidence, learning and purpose. This new direction puts that approach into a higher gear and drives our impact further than ever.”
We’re also continuing to expand our outreach, building more partnerships with the corporate and philanthropic community. We recognise the powerful role industry and individuals can play in creating exposure, building skills, and opening doors to real pathways and long-term opportunity for young people.
We’re ready to step into this next phase with energy, purpose and belief in what’s possible when young people are supported early and celebrated for who they are.
Soon, you’ll see new staff appointments to help us walk the talk, and hopefully you noticed our fresh new brand and website!
We can’t wait to see where this all takes us.
We were thrilled to work with Ithaca Impact to bring our 2026 to 2031 strategy to life, combining strong strategic thinking with the heart that defines TRACTION.