BREED Australia developed Change Creators in partnership with the Putland Training Unit at Cobham Youth Justice Centre to address one of Australia’s most persistent challenges: the cycle of youth recidivism. By embedding the Learning for Good™ framework, the program positions mindset development as the foundation for lasting rehabilitation and reintegration.

The Change Creators initiative at Cobham Youth Justice Centre demonstrates what is possible when innovation, compassion, and evidence converge. BREED Australia has designed and delivered a program that does more than provide short-term activity. It inspires young people to imagine different futures, equips them with the tools to pursue those futures, and connects them to a sense of purpose that extends beyond their circumstances.

Since 2024, 34 young men aged 14 to 18 have participated in the program. Their stories are diverse, yet they share common experiences of disadvantage, disengagement, and reoffending. For many, traditional pathways have failed to hold meaning. Change Creators steps into that gap with a model grounded in the Learning for Good™ framework, which combines mindset development, resilience, and ethical entrepreneurship. The results are compelling: most participants report improved emotional regulation, increased confidence, and a stronger sense of purpose.

The program’s credibility has been reinforced by government and institutional recognition. In 2024, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice awarded BREED a Youth Opportunities Grant to expand Change Creators, confirming confidence in its design and impact. Partnerships with Youth Justice NSW and the Putland Training Unit have provided a platform for delivery in a secure environment where access is rarely extended to external organisations. BREED’s Social Impact Report 2025 highlighted Change Creators as a flagship program, consolidating its reputation as a leader in alternative education and mindset-first approaches.

Currently facilitated at a single juvenile facility, Change Creators has already demonstrated measurable behavioural change in a highly complex environment. Importantly, these achievements are not the endpoint but the foundation. With replication across other facilities in New South Wales and nationally, Change Creators could deliver systemic reform, reducing recidivism and promoting social inclusion at scale.

Change Creators embodies innovation through its design, combining entrepreneurship with mindset transformation, and achieves impactful outcomes, demonstrating measurable changes in confidence, resilience, and purpose. Most importantly, it shows that young people who once saw crime as their only option can be motivated to pursue ethical and sustainable futures.

For more information about BREED Australia, visit www.breedaustralia.com.au.