Vicki-Tree is the Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Involvement Council (YIC) which is based in South Hedland in the Pilbara. She leads a team of 40 staff who work with over 700 youth aged 5-25 each year across five core programs including youth centres, homelessness, night patrols and social enterprise. YIC hold community youth events including Hedland’s Got Talent and the Hedland Youth Awards. It is fair to say that YIC have the competitive edge when it comes to taking a trauma-informed-approach and working with young people experiencing significant challenges in their lives.
Prior to running YIC, Vicki worked across the programs at grassroots level for five years. Originally from New Zealand, her first Australian adventure saw her doing relief teaching in Mulan and youth work in Balgo – two remote communities in the Kimberley.
Vicki-Tree has experience in education and social services in NZ where she did some adult teaching, coordinated a youth centre and ran a mentoring program for Maori secondary school students. Her tertiary qualifications cover many areas including education, philosophy, Maori, management, governance and social impact.
Vicki-Tree is passionate about trauma and mental health, thrives on developing the potential in others and in her spare time enjoys family, travel and golf. When asked what motivated her to become a member on the WACOSS Board, Vicki-Tree believes she can assist with a regional perspective and is also keen to embrace the potential learning opportunities associated with the role.
Vicki-Tree was appointed as an Additional Board Member in November 2019 in an ex-officio capacity, and then elected as an Ordinary Board Member in October 2020.