Human Nature

What Human Nature does

Human Nature Adventure Therapy Ltd is an Australian non-government funded, non-profit organisation founded in 2015 by psychologist Andy Hamilton and headquartered at 111 Tamar Street, Ballina, NSW. It provides nature-based mental health and therapeutic support to vulnerable young people aged 14-18 living in the Far North Coast of NSW who face barriers to accessing conventional clinical services due to cost, transport, stigma, or unwillingness to engage with office-based care. The organisation operates three interconnected programs: Activ8 (outreach individual and small-group therapeutic sessions delivered in bush, beach, and rainforest settings), Recre8 (an immersive 10-day expedition combining hiking and sailing around Moreton Island for existing Activ8 participants), and Elev8 (post-program support including multi-day camps, resume-building workshops, and social activities for graduates). Its core technology is a proprietary Therapeutic Partnership Model that pairs registered Adventure Therapists (psychologists and social workers) with Therapeutic Mentors (youth workers) to deliver evidence-based psychological interventions in outdoor environments, operating under a secondary-consult supervision model with clinical governance oversight from a newly established Clinical Governance Advisory Council.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded philanthropy rather than fee-for-service: services are provided free or at heavily subsidised rates with no Mental Health Care Plan required, and no young person is turned away for inability to pay. Over 90% of funding comes from private donations, with diversified revenue streams including individual giving, regular giving, major gifts, legacy giving, corporate partnerships (workplace giving, cause marketing), community fundraising events (e.g., Take a Hike adventure fundraiser), and grants from more than 14 named foundations including Future Generation Global, Ingrained Foundation (three-year commitment), James Frizelle Charitable Foundation, Born This Way/Cotton On Foundation, NAB Foundation, St George Foundation, NRCF, FRRR, and Healthy North Coast. Approximately 70% of expenditure is allocated to employing skilled mental health professionals. The 24-person team delivered 1,038 individual face-to-face appointments and 1,252 case management appointments in 2025, serving 141 young people, and the organisation reports validated outcome metrics including 83% program engagement, 93% positive change in at least one life area, 66% re-engagement with education/training/work, and 78% significant improvement in self-esteem, with the model independently evaluated by Charles Sturt University's Centre for Rural Health Research.

The go-to-market is community- and referral-led, with young people entering programs through schools, foster care organisations, juvenile justice services, youth services, drug and alcohol services, and other community agencies across the Northern Rivers. Funding-side GTM combines grassroots fundraising events with cultivated relationships with major Australian philanthropic foundations. Distribution is exclusively direct service delivery through outreach to natural and community settings. The organisation holds ACNC Public Benevolent Institution status with Deductible Gift Recipient registration (ABN 47 609 965 282), operates from Ballina in the Bundjalung Nation, and is led by CEO Sharyn White, founder and Therapeutic Lead Andy Hamilton, and Board Chair Stephen Grant.

Name

Human Nature

Legal name

Human Nature Adventure Therapy Ltd

Website

https://humannature.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Human Nature is an Australian non-profit founded in 2015 that delivers nature-based mental health therapy to vulnerable young people aged 14-18 in the Far North Coast of NSW through outreach programs that remove cost, transport, and stigma barriers to conventional clinical services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Eco-Adventure Multi-Day Expeditions (Trekking, Hut-to-Hut, Pack Trips) (THAAAEAJ)

Keywords

• Youth mental health services
• Adventure therapy programs
• Nature-based therapy
• Outreach psychological support
• Nonprofit therapeutic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ballina

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Human Nature relies primarily on private donations from individuals. Over 90% of funds come from private donations. The organisation runs regular giving programs, one-time donations, and major gift campaigns.
2. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: Funding from foundations and grant-making organisations including Future Generation Global, Ingrained Foundation, James Frizelle Charitable Foundation, Born This Way Foundation/Cotton On Foundation, and various other charitable foundations.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses for fundraising support, including corporate matching programs, workplace giving, and cause marketing partnerships.
4. Fundraising Events: Community fundraising activities including adventure fundraisers (Take a Hike), pop-up shopping events, evening events, birthday fundraisers through social media, and community festival stalls.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Human Nature Adventure Therapy delivers nature-based mental health support to vulnerable young people aged 14-18 in the Far North Coast of NSW. The organisation provides three interconnected programs (Activ8 outreach, Recre8 expedition-based therapy, and Elev8 post-program support) that combine evidence-based psychological interventions with outdoor adventure activities to engage young people who cannot or will not access conventional clinical mental health services.

Product overview

Human Nature Adventure Therapy is a non-government funded, not-for-profit youth mental health organization providing nature-based therapeutic programs for young people aged 14-18 in the Far North Coast of NSW. The organization operates three interconnected programs: Activ8 serves as the primary outreach program delivering individual and small group therapeutic sessions outdoors; Recre8 provides immersive expedition-based therapy for Activ8 participants, featuring multi-day adventures including hiking and sailing; and Elev8 offers ongoing post-program support with peer connections, group activities, and skill-building workshops. Additional services include individual mental health sessions with registered psychologists and social workers, therapeutic mentoring from experienced youth workers, and group recreational activities. The programs collectively aim to engage young people who cannot or will not access conventional clinical mental health services by removing barriers including cost, transport, and clinical setting discomfort.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Activ8 Outreach mental health support through individual and small group therapeutic sessions conducted outdoors in nature for young people aged 14-18 who will not engage with conventional mental health services.
• Recre8 Immersive adventure therapy program for existing Activ8 participants, featuring a 10-day expedition combining hiking and sailing around Moreton Island plus introductory camps and graduation events.
• Elev8 Post-program ongoing support for Human Nature program graduates, including group activities, multi-day camps, resume-building workshops and social activities co-designed with young people.
• Individual Mental Health Sessions One-on-one mental health sessions with registered psychologists or social workers, delivered in nature-based settings rather than clinical offices and tailored to individual needs.
• Therapeutic Mentoring Support provided by experienced youth workers using therapeutic approaches and trauma-informed care to help young people build resilience and wellbeing skills.
• Group Therapy and Recreational Activities Therapeutic group work combined with recreational activities in natural environments, designed to re-engage struggling youth through shared outdoor experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% engagement rate - four out of five young people referred successfully begin and stay with programs
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Flowers Across Melbourne and SydneyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Their 'Givr' fundraising program supports a not-for-profit each month, donating 10% of monthly sales from one top-selling bouquet arrangement to Human Nature during their designated month.
• Charles Sturt University Centre for Rural Health ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted independent evaluation of Human Nature's relational, nature-based approach, validating it as an effective and scalable model for young people in the 'missing middle'. Key findings confirmed significant improvements in wellbeing, relationships, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and emotional regulation.
• Referral Partner NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman Nature works with a network of referral partners including schools, foster care organisations, juvenile justice services, youth services, drug and alcohol services, and other agencies to connect with young people who face barriers to accessing support.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Orygen Youth Mental Health: Australia's leading youth mental health research and clinical service organisation, focused on 12-25 year olds with severe and complex mental health needs. Comparable in clinical focus on 'missing middle' youth; broader scope, research-led, and government-funded.
• headspace: Australian government's national youth mental health foundation operating a network of physical centres for 12-25 year olds. Comparable target demographic and mission; broader scope, government-funded, and far larger scale than Human Nature's regional niche service.
• ReachOut Australia: Australia's leading online mental health service for young people, providing digital self-help, peer support, and clinician resources. Co-selected with Human Nature as a Future Generation Global Impact Partner. Comparable mission; different delivery model (digital vs in-person nature-based).

Direct peers

• YSAS (Youth Support and Advocacy Service): Victorian specialist youth AOD and mental health service providing outreach, counselling, and therapeutic support for vulnerable young people. Comparable in therapeutic outreach model for disengaged youth, though primarily Victoria-based and not adventure-based.
• Berry Street: One of Australia's largest child and family welfare organisations, providing therapeutic, residential, and community-based services for vulnerable children and young people including trauma-informed care. Comparable in serving trauma-affected youth with non-clinical engagement models, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Back Track: Australian non-profit working with disengaged and at-risk youth through alternative education, animal-assisted and hands-on outdoor activities. Co-selected with Human Nature as a Future Generation Global Impact Partner (2022), making it the closest direct peer in mission, regional focus, and intervention model.
• Outward Bound Australia: Australian outdoor experiential learning provider running adventure-based personal development programs for young people. Compares through its use of wilderness and expedition-based interventions to build resilience and life skills in youth, overlapping with Human Nature's Recre8 and Activ8 modalities.
• Outdoor Education Group: Australia's largest outdoor education provider, delivering camp-based and expedition programs for school-aged youth. Comparable in outdoor delivery model and youth-development orientation, though less therapeutic in framing than Human Nature's clinical-led approach.

Emerging players

• Smiling Mind: Australian not-for-profit delivering mindfulness and mental wellbeing programs, primarily via app and digital tools for young people. Co-selected with Human Nature as a Future Generation Global Impact Partner. Comparable youth mental health mission with similar funding profile; different modality (digital mindfulness vs adventure therapy).
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): US-based global outdoor education leader running wilderness expeditions for youth and adults focused on leadership and resilience. Comparable in using wilderness as the therapeutic medium; geographic and clinical-model differences limit direct overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/humannatureadventuretherapy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-nature-adventure-therapy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Human Nature