Emily Hikaiti is a valued Ambassador of the Adopt Change community. Emily has led our FACS Caseworker training and spoken at our Western NSW OOHC and Mental Health Interagency and has attended THRIVE in previous years as both a host and panel member. Emily has been an MC at CREATE Foundation’s National Survey Launch and at the Their Futures Matter 2019 conference, alongside MC for Adopt Change’s Foster Carers Week Event in 2022. Emily attended IFCO’s International Foster Carers Conference as a youth facilitator in 2022. She also attended Parliament House to release the highlights from The National Permanency Conference in 2022 alongside Adopt Change CEO Renee Carter. Emily has been a Head Facilitator for Creating Chances since 2021, providing positive youth development pathways in schools using sport as the driving tool.

Aside from supporting young people in her community, she is an incredible parent to an eight year old son, Emily is a successful entrepreneur in both photography and consultation and offers these services to organisations around Australia and abroad. Emily is passionate about reducing youth homelessness by extending the leaving care age in NSW and in 2022 encouraged states and territories to make this change alongside CREATE Foundations. Emily is especially passionate about providing young people in care with better support networks to transition into adulthood, this has been executed through her business consistently for the last 5 years; providing advocacy and consultation on an individual, group, and systematic level around Australia.