By Tarnia Cooper and Emma Wallis
If someone had told us a few years ago that a conversation in a Footscray classroom would lead to us running a registered charity together, we probably would have laughed.
At the time, we were two solo mums studying Community Services, juggling assignments, parenting, work and everything else life throws at you. Between studies, we talked about more than just our coursework, we spoke about family life, community, and the gaps we could see around us.
Through our studies and community involvement, we noticed the same pattern: capable, talented young people who wanted to connect, gain independence, develop work skills and contribute to their communities, but faced barriers that made those opportunities hard to access.
For many people, walking into a workplace, joining a group activity or starting a conversation is natural. For some neurodivergent young people and people with invisible disabilities, those same experiences can be overwhelming, isolating and sometimes inaccessible without the right support and understanding.
Rather than focusing on what these young people couldn’t do, we asked a different question: what could happen if we focused on their strengths?
That question became Linking the Next Steps. There was no grand business plan or major funding announcement. Just two people who believed there had to be a better way. What followed were thousands of hours turning an idea into something real.
We spent evenings, weekends and countless cups of coffee building programs, partnerships and opportunities for the young people we believed in. It wasn’t always easy, but every step reinforced why the work mattered.
The work is deeply personal. One of us, Emma, grew up in Yarraville and now lives in Ascot Vale. The other, Tarnia, spends time between Newport and Woodend. Footscray is where we studied, where our ideas took shape and our charity was founded.
With her own lived experience, Tarnia sees the impact of assumptions and stereotypes firsthand. “Stereotypes about Autism still exist in the community and workplaces, but Autism is like a fingerprint unique to every individual.” she says.
“The reality is that most people simply need understanding of different communication styles, and others need a chance to feel safe enough to show their strengths and capabilities.”
While we’re proud of how far Linking the Next Steps has come, what matters most are the small moments. A young person speaking up when they would normally stay quiet. A participant forming a genuine friendship. A teenager deciding they’re finally ready to apply for a job. They might seem small, but for the young person experiencing them, they can be life-changing.
Through grants that support our Ignite Pathways Program, Insightful Hub workshop series, and community activities, we help young people build confidence, independence, social connections and employment skills in a welcoming environment. We’ve also stayed connected to where our journey began.
Linking the Next Steps partners with Victoria University, providing placements for their Diploma of Community Services and Youth Work and Certificate IV in Mental Health students, with a pilot program for Certificate II in Work Education students launching soon.
For LTNS, these placements create learning opportunities for everyone involved. “Some students come in nervous because they’ve never worked alongside neurodivergent people before,” Emma says. “By the end of placement, they realise how individual every person is. They stop focusing on labels and start focusing on people.”
Looking ahead, our vision is a permanent community space in the West where participants can access our programs, peer support and mentoring while building practical skills, meaningful connections and a sense of belonging.
We want people to feel like they belong somewhere. Not somewhere they have to mask who they are, but somewhere they can learn, grow, make mistakes safely, and discover what their next step looks like.
For many young people and their families, that support means more than learning new skills. It means finally feeling understood. As one young person recently told us, “I just want people to understand me.”
As conversations around neurodiversity grow across schools, workplaces and the community, we hope to play our part in breaking down stigma and looking beyond stereotypes.
Behind every diagnosis, label or invisible disability is a person seeking the same things most of us do: connection, purpose, understanding and a fair go.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe a classroom conversation could grow into something that now supports young people across Melbourne’s west. But that’s exactly what happened.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to take their next step with confidence and to know they don’t have to do it alone.
