Why we exist
Change around the globe is happening at an accelerated rate, with marginalised and vulnerable communities left behind or left out. Many of our current systems and policies aren't functioning in the current climate, or designed to place people at the heart of the solutions.
We want to live in a world where people, community and governments can come together to creatively tackle our toughest challenges, and create the futures we want.
But we can't do this alone. Collectively, we need to seek real world solutions to real world problems. By partnering with communities, organisations and philanthropy, we believe we can make a real impact and change how we live – now and in the future.
Read more about what we do and how we can work together.
Our experience
Formed in 2009 as an initiative of the South Australian government, TACSI is an independent social enterprise working on projects and initiatives across Australia.
Over the last 14 years, we’ve worked alongside people, community, government, philanthropy and not for profit. Together, we believe that by putting people back at the heart of social innovation and shifting the power back to the people directly affected by the challenges they face every day, we can make lasting and impactful change.
As part of a global community doing this work, we build on the evidence of what's worked before, leaving room for new and bold ideas that are genuinely people led. Working this way means we’re better equipped to build the conditions and environment for new ways of imagining our societies.
At the heart of TACSI lies the fundamental belief that people are the experts in their own lives. We believe that the best innovations come from working alongside the people who face the very challenges we are trying to solve.
“We want a future where people and communities are placed at the heart of solutions that are systemic, experimental and give real power to those experiencing marginalisation, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
We weave First Nations perspectives through everything we do
We’re committed to furthering self determination through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led innovation.
We’ve developed our Reflect RAP as a key action to deepen and progress our collective and individual journey toward reconciliation, and play our part in working toward reconciliation in Australia.
Our approach
Human-centred
Placing people at the heart of both the process and solution
Systemic
Taking a systemic view of the challenge we’re trying to solve
Creative
Being creative and experimental in everything we do
We’re a networked organisation
Our vision of a networked organisation at TACSI is that of an operating model capable of responding to an ever-changing environment. It is forward-facing, structured around people learning from the emerging future rather than seeking instruction from the past. It is authentic, completely transparent and always evolving.
Over the past twelve years, TACSI has undergone significant growth, now employing more than 45 people working nationally out of Adelaide , Melbourne and Sydney.
We’re committed to employing and working alongside people with lived and living experience across all our projects and initiatives, including community representatives in our Fire to Flourish project, Quality Friends in our Family by Family initiative, community leaders in Our Town, and young people as Community Responders in our mental health projects, just to name a few.
While some of these opportunities are specific to project work, many of these lived and living experience people move into permanent roles alongside TACSI. This focus will continue to grow with the launch of our new strategy in June 2022, which will see us further grow our operations.
We’ve set a bold new strategy to tackle some of the persistent social challenges that hold our society back and are forging new partnerships to help us accelerate change.
Our team
We’re a multidisciplinary team working across Australia with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Over the past 14 years, our organisation has grown into a network of small teams including people with lived and living experience, that are self-managed, geared towards service and, most importantly, centred around learning.