Social Impact Leaders— Interview w/ Milly Bannister of ALLKND
Milly Bannister is the Founder and CEO of ALLKND, a Gen Z-forward not-for-profit organisation reducing the national youth suicide rate by teaching Australia’s first digital, peer-to-peer mental health first aid program, at scale around the country.
After her own challenging and isolating experience as a 14-year-old supporting a close friend through suicidal ideation and self-harm, and developing her own mental health challenges, she figured it was time young people had a chance to empower themselves with preventative, peer-to-peer mental health first aid education.
She’s somewhat of a communications expert and virtual BFF to a 160k+ community, with a background and training in Journalism, Positive Psychology and Human Research. She’s currently an ambassador for Microsoft Surface, Brisbane Business Hub, Ella Bache, MG Motor and has worked with the likes of BMW, Sony, Olay, Amazon and Google.
Social Impact — What meaning do you personally associate with this term?
A venture with a mission to postively impact people, person or place. For example, the net effect of not for profit, ALLKND’s effect on the wellbeing of individuals and their communities.
Social Responsibility — What is your best practice to integrate it into your daily life?
Advocating for social responsiblity and raising it to your community or workplace is incredly important for the progress of local and global issues facing us collectively. One voice can be all it takes to mobilise positive impact. My best practice to integrate it into my daily life is to follow activist groups on social media and share their work and donate.
Purchasing Power — What is it all about, and why is it real power?
We vote with our dollars — the impact of consumer choice on producers’ actions is very real. We must never underestimate the power of our own personal, daily choices, it all adds up and makes a difference.
Conscious Living — Why is it important to live our life consciously? And how do our actions influence and affect each other, and therefore connect us?
Conscious living is about waking up and being intentional with every choice made. More than just ‘mindful living’, it’s about being conscious of what you consume from your environment with all of your senses and of the effect it has on you. Like a ripple effect from a drop of water, the more conscious we are as individuals, the more conscious we’ll be as communities.
Conscious Consumerism — Why, now more than ever, it is important to reflect on our buying habits, and research the brands we are consuming?
What we give time, platform and money to grows, meaning now more than ever, is it so important to reflect on our buying habits, and research the brands we are consuming.
Commercial — From your point of view, what are the commercial practices that are unhealthy to humanity?
You know those massive corporate giants that monopolise our industries? They’re redirecting trade away from the smaller, more conscious and sustainable businesses who are doing better things for people, place and planet. There might even be social enterprises or not for profits doing great work too, but unfortunately, people are still voting with their resources, for cheaper, more efficient purchasing experiences and valuing that higher than they value the positive impacts of these other brands doing the same thing, often better.
The Future — What is your personal outlook on the future?
I’m scared. I’m a Gen-Zer, and we potentially care the most because it’s our future. We feel motivated by urgency yet helpless against the mammoth task in front of us and the world leaders that don’t seem to be doing enough. The power is in our hands as individuals, it has to be.
Change — What do you personally think needs to change — from a consumer perspective and within the corporate world?
I personally believe we need to pay more attention to the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. Imagine if you weren’t allowed to register a new business or continue trading in Australia unless it directly related to these goals?
THANK YOU!
Demee Koch about the MEDIUM interview series on Social Impact:
Hello! I am a serial entrepreneur practising conscious entrepreneurship. This is an interview series about social responsibility and the best practices in incorporating it into our daily lives.
Every day, we make an impact consciously and subconsciously. It is implemented through our actions.
A great example of this is the practice of our Purchasing Power where we can actually direct our impact by consciously deciding which brands and companies we nourish.
I interview change advocates about best practices for incorporating social consciousness into our daily lives, and practices in the business world that need to change for the benefit of social responsibility.
With this interview, we invite the reader to reflect their every day actions. We all have an impact, and if we are consciously aware of that, we can be empowered to start the change for a better future.
Thank you for being the change. I’m looking forward to learn from each one of you. Reach out to me via LinkedIn.
Demee ❤︎
