Kris Gesling

Experience

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  Inspire Foundation

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2011

  Youth Ambassador

  Over many years volunteering for ReachOut.com I had the opportunity to be involved in so many areas of the organisation including content development, moderation of community forums, marketing, public relations, fundraising, research, policy development, interviewing job candidates, and mentoring new Youth Ambassadors.Key highlights for me during this time were joining the CRC Bid Development Team resulting in a $27.4 million Federal Government contribution to establish the Young and Well CRC; working on the Youth Participation Evaluation utilising mixed methodology participatory research process as a peer researcher; and being a plenary speaker at the 4th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Show less

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  Newcastle University Students Association

  Jan 2007 - Dec 2010

  Student Representative

  Elected Education Officer (2007), Vice President (2008), Equity Officer (2009) and Faculty Representative (2010).Worked collectively to consult broad range of student views and advocate for all students. Chaired the finance committee for three years including a restructure of the organisations $1.4M investment portfolio enabling ethical sustainability and growth throughout the ‘global financial crisis’. Coordinated training programs and facilitated workshops for the Council and student body. Introduced new IT infrastructure to support the continued growth of the Association including new email systems, document repository and a complete redesign of online assets and digital presence. Show less

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  University of Newcastle

  Jan 2007 - Jan 2011

  Assisted students with ICT, library and general enquiries in the 24-hour Information Commons. Represented the University in the media, at events, and speaking at high schools across NSW. Provided a strong and independent student voice to the University Senate, enabled the student body to stay informed on the governance of their University, and provided a key avenue for students to raise concerns directly with the University Administration.

  • Information Commons Support Assistant

    Dec 2010 - Jan 2011

  • Student Ambassador

    Jan 2010 - Jan 2011

  • Academic Senate Undergraduate Student Representative

    Jan 2007 - Dec 2009
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  Newcastle University Mountaineering Club

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2011

  President

  2010 - Media Officer2009 - IT Officer

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  Young and Well CRC

  Aug 2011 - Mar 2015

  Oversaw youth engagement activities across the organisation. This included the recruitment and management of a new Youth Participation Officer to the team, as well as the creation of youth involvement principles and guidelines to assist future project teams. I also led the development and implementation of User Experience and Youth Participation programs for the first pilot of Project Synergy, an integrated online student wellbeing service in collaboration with the University of Sydney.I was also responsible for managing relationships with external IT support services and suppliers, as well as the development of policy and procedures relating to information and communication technologies in order to support the work of the Young and Well CRC team. Show less In this time my primary role was to coordinate the Youth Brains Trust, internships, work experience and volunteer programs of the CRC. Create and implement policy and procedures regarding information and communication technologies to support the work of the Young and Well CRC team. Manage relationships with external IT support services and suppliers. As well as conduct training and facilitate learning opportunities on youth participation and technology use for members of the Young and Well CRC Network.Key highlights during this period were the establishment of the Young and Well CRC First Peoples Youth Council in partnership with Indigenous members of our Youth Brains Trust. Coordination of a Summer Research Training Institute for six young and early career researchers from Australia and Kenya in partnership with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. As well as the development and implementation of a Student Work Experience program. Show less My first role at Young and Well CRC involved the coordination and support of young peoples involvement through all aspects and levels of the organisation. This included the design and implementation of youth involvement strategies across the organisation including the Youth Brains Trust, and Internship programs; facilitating the development of the organisations brand, vision and values with the inaugural Youth Brains Trust; and coordinating the review of all research proposals by the Youth Brains Trust prior to final Board approval.I was also responsible for developing and maintaining policies, procedures and reporting systems to ensure Young and Well CRC engaged effectively and appropriately with diverse populations of young people across Australia. As well as conducting training and providing ongoing support around youth participation practices for team members, research project teams and partner organisations. Show less

  • Youth Participation and Technology Coordinator

    Aug 2014 - Mar 2015

  • Youth Participation and Technology Officer

    Mar 2012 - Aug 2014

  • Youth Participation Officer

    Aug 2011 - Mar 2012
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  Aboriginal and Resource Development Services

  Mar 2015 - Jun 2015

  On-ground Support

  The Yolŋu project team and I planned, conducted and evaluated six Raypirri (Yolŋu self-discipline) Camps for Yolŋu young people on Elcho Island under the Stronger Communities for Children program. The team delivered all milestones on-time and under budget despite simultaneously recovering and rebuilding from the destruction caused by two major tropical cyclones. In addition to on-ground logistical and administrative support I assisted the Yolŋu Project Manager to recruit additional mentors as well as build individual and group capacity in health and social welfare, project management, budgeting, and evaluation strategies. Together we enhanced the projects ongoing sustainability through the development of strategic partnerships and exploration of alternative funding models. Show less

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  International Association for Youth Mental Health

  Apr 2015 - Feb 2017

  In partnership with two Youth Co-Convenors, supported 20 young people to attend the 2015 IAYMH biennial conference in Montreal Canada alongside over 70 other young attendees. This included providing support to the Youth Co-Convenors from Australia and Canada to develop the conference youth engagement strategies in order to provide a safe, supportive and engaging event.

  • Secretariat Support

    Oct 2015 - Feb 2017

  • Youth Engagement Advisor

    Apr 2015 - Oct 2015
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  Australian Red Cross

  Jul 2016 - Jan 2019

  Australian Red Cross is part of the world's largest humanitarian movement. As Youth Programs Team Leader, I led a team of six staff across three program areas, supporting young people in the Darwin region who were experiencing vulnerability. As the Territory Lead for Child Safety, I provided support and guidance to all staff in matters of child protection and safety. During this time I also took on the role of Ethics Lead in the establishment of Humanitech. An initiative of Australian Red Cross that puts humanity at the centre of opportunities presented by emerging technologies. Bringing together organisations and researchers from across the technology, humanitarian and social-impact sectors, Humanitech explores the power of technology for social good, as well as the risks that arise. We aim to ensure that the needs of people, especially those already at the margins, are front and centre of technological development. Research and insights, solution development, and advocacy and influence are the pillars of Humanitech. Show less

  • Youth Programs Team Leader

    Nov 2016 - Jan 2019

  • Youth Engagement Officer

    Jul 2016 - Nov 2016
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  GovHack

  Apr 2017 - Dec 2018

  NT Director

  GovHack is an open data hackathon, run annually by volunteers, focussed on unlocking the value in open data published by government. It has been run by a team of volunteers and grown from a small data mashup event to an international competition that brings over 3000 people together to innovate, collaborate and apply their creative skills to open government data. GovHack is for coders, designers, story tellers, activists, analysts, journalists and anyone that wants to tap into the vast amount of information made available by governments.As NT Director, I established GovHack in the Northern Territory for the first time in 2017. Gaining strong support from Government, academic and corporate partners, this included physical events in both Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as remote participants from North East Arnhem Land. I led the event again in 2018, before supporting my team to step into broader leadership roles. GovHack continues to run in the NT annually with an incredible team of volunteers. Show less

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  Mycroft AI

  Jan 2019 - Feb 2023

  Director of Developer Relations

  Mycroft AI is an open source voice interaction platform designed for everyone.As Director of Developer Relations, I facilitate the engagement of thousands of open source developers, translators, testers, and communicators. From machine learning to linguistics - this diverse community of contributors from across the world, are driving Mycroft forward, and ensuring it meets the needs of humanity.

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  Young Change Agents

  May 2023 - Jan 2024

  NT Regional Manager

  Supporting young people across the Northern Territory to become Young Change Agents in their communities. Using design thinking and social entrepreneurship to turn challenges into opportunities.

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  Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services

  Mar 2024 - now

  Business Improvement Manager - SAFE NT

  Working across all units of SAFE NT to review and optimise business processes, manage the implementation and use of new and existing ICT systems, and prepare for new national standards for providing clearances to workers that support a diversity of people in our society. Screening Assessment for Employment Northern Territory (SAFE NT) is responsible for National Police Checks, Working with Children and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Employment Checks, Criminal History and Warrants and Police Infringement offices. Show less