For a second consecutive year, Zacary Leeson CFP® has taken out the FPA Community Service Award supported by the Future2 Foundation, for his work with Leading Youth Forward.

What does it take to be a second year winner in the FPA Awards? Just ask Zacary Leeson CFP^®, a planner at Perth-based HPH Solutions and volunteer at Leading Youth Forward.

“It takes a lot of work,” Zac laughs. “The difference between this year and last year is I have stepped up and taken on a more strategic role, with greater responsibility within Leading Youth Forward. I’m spending more hours and doing more work with the charity, but I’m also receiving more personal reward for doing so.”

The 29-year-old took out the 2019 FPA Community Service Award supported by the Future2 Foundation, for his work with Leading Youth Forward – a not-for-profit organisation he has enjoyed a six-year relationship with.

Leading Youth Forward supports and empowers disadvantaged Perth teenagers in Years 8-10 at high school, by providing them with positive experiences, mentors and role models. The charitable organisation also provides respite to family members and caregivers. The majority of teenagers at Leading Youth Forward have been referred to the organisation by an affiliated charity, Uni Camp for Kids.

According to Zac, every teen at Leading Youth Forward is carefully matched with a volunteer mentor for the year, and together, they participate in a year long program of activities, including: a weekend camp in March, up to four Big Day Out events, small group activities, and leadership activities for senior teens.

Ready to step up 

A huge part of Leading Youth Forward’s work is with mentoring teenagers, and while Zac has been involved in this aspect of the charity’s work, he has stepped aside this year, instead, taking on the role of President of the organisation – a position he accepted in April 2019.

“Taking on the presidency is quite an involved role. I quickly discovered that I didn’t have enough time to take on a mentee, so I’ve stepped back from mentoring this year. But I still know all the kids involved in the program and help out where I can,” Zac says.

Prior to his involvement with Leading Youth Forward, Zac was involved with another charitable organisation – Uni Camp for Kids.

“Uni Camp for Kids is a respite program for children aged between 6-12 years, and is run by students from the University of Western Australia. We noticed that a lot of these children were graduating from the program, having developed positive relationships with the uni students – their role models – but then had no other program to move onto.

“So, we developed Leading Youth Forward in 2013, which sees the program move from being a respite program to a developmental program for youth aged 12-16 years.”

 It’s a decision Zac is particularly proud of, and freely admits to being constantly amazed by the achievements of the program and its participants.

“Leading Youth Forward is providing a much needed outlet for those involved in the program,” he says. “It’s giving disadvantaged teenagers the opportunity to see things that they wouldn’t normally see or experience.

“Unfortunately, a lot of these kids have parents or carers who don’t pay too much attention to them.  As a result, they tend to struggle at school. So, they get attracted to things they shouldn’t be doing. But by having a mentor who is a positive role model to them, it opens up a new perspective for these teens. They learn there’s more to life than where they’re at, like alternative pathways to uni or TAFE, and employment opportunities.”

Take the first step

Zac isn’t lost for words in taking out this FPA award for a consecutive year, and says it is both a professional and personal highlight for him.

And while the award recognises the outstanding work Leading Youth Forward is doing in the community, while helping to raise greater awareness of the charity’s important work, Zac admits the real prize is the much needed funding that the award and the Future2 Make the Difference! Grant will provide for the charity.

“The $10,000 grant we received as part of the 2019 Future2 grants program will help fund our Big Day Out development days and help Leading Youth Forward reach a significantly larger group of teens needing mentoring and support. And the $5,000 prize money for winning the award will go towards offsetting some of the funding cuts to our weekend camp in March.”

However, given the Royal Commission recommendations and the scrutiny the profession has endured over recent years, Zac concedes the profession has received significant damage to its reputation. But he believes involvement in community initiatives will enable the profession to regain the lost trust of Australians, by showing the wider public that planners are more than just purveyors of financial advice.  

“We are active participants in our communities, who give back to the very communities from which we make our living. If we can take a more active role in social giving by working within the wider community, through pro bono and charitable programs, then I believe it will allow that sentiment to change within the community. It will enable the industry to become more trusted, which will lead to more people getting advice and achieving better outcomes.”

And when it comes to community involvement, Zac lives and breathes it. He firmly believes that by showcasing the work and involvement of planners in their local communities, the profession can reset the agenda and begin rebuilding consumer trust.

“It’s always much easier to put things off, but if you are considering becoming involved in social giving, then do it. Make the time. There are a lot of charitable organisations that are in desperate need of help. Just take the first step. You won’t regret it!”

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Name: Zacary Leeson CFP^®

Age: 29

Position: Financial Planner

Practice: HPH Solutions

Licensee: HPH Financial Planning

Years as a financial planner: 6 years

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