BCG supports LGBTQIA+ youth charity with new strategic plan

Minus 18, one of Australia’s leading organisations for LGBTQIA+ youth advocacy, has released a new three-year strategic plan – developed with the support of strategy consultants from Boston Consulting Group.

The Australian LGBTQIA+ youth support organisation has enlisted Boston Consulting Group in drafting a new, three-year strategic plan which includes the establishment of a permanent office beyond Victoria and an ambitious bid to reach more than 40,000 people through training and workshops per year.

Minus 18 notes that two out of three LGBTQIA+ youth in Australia still experience bullying or discrimination to this day.

Established in Melbourne in 1998 through the work of parental ally and activist Nan McGregor, Minus 18 has for the past decade evolved under the direction of CEO Micah Scott into a charitable foundation aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQIA+ youth across the country. Over that time, Minus 18 has reached 80,000 vulnerable young people through programs and events, while over 50,000 allies have attended training and workshops.

Now, on the back of the foundation’s previous three-year strategic plan which saw annual funding double to more than $2 million and staff numbers jump three-fold to a team of twenty-one, Minus 18 wants to further its momentum via the release of its 2023-2036 road-map, which was developed with the pro bono support of Boston Consulting Group(BCG).

With a focus on four key areas, Minus 18 described it as the organisation’s most ambitious plan yet.

With an underlying vision to become a house-hold brand and the go-to organisation for LGBTQIA+ youth empowerment and education in Australia, Minus 18 will over the next few years seek to lay the foundations for further national expansion through a new interstate office and greater number of programs delivered in rural areas – the foundation aiming for a 50 percent engagement rate beyond its home-base of Victoria by 2026.

The three other key pillars of the strategic plan beyond expanding territorial reach include a deepening of its direct engagement with LGBTQIA+ youth, including via Minus 18’s successful Young Leaders program; creating greater connection with adults and allies through e-learning and workshops to push for systemic change; and, at a macro level, better defining its position as a leader within the general community and broader LGBTQIA+ sector.

“What a privilege to have been able to support Minus18 Foundation to develop their 2023-2026 Strategic plan and see it go live as a part of Boston Consulting Group’s ongoing commitment to social impact and diversity, equity and inclusion and working with our pride community,” said BCG project leader Amritanshu Sharma, who has been with the strategy firm in Melbourne since mid-2021 after transferring from its London office.

BCG has a strong record of supporting LGBT causes in Australia, as well as acting as a positive voice for workplace diversity through studies and reports. A sponsor of Out for Australia’s 30 under 30 list of leading young advocates, BCG itself has been named as one of Australia’s most inclusive workplaces.

A recent BCG survey found that more than 70 percent of Australian trans and gender nonconforming employees are not ‘fully out’ in their workplaces.