Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA)

What Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA) does

Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA) is an incorporated non-profit peak body established over 40 years ago (founded circa 1980-1983) to represent the interests of young South Australians aged 12-25 and the youth-sector organisations that serve them. Headquartered at Level 4, 182 Victoria Square, Adelaide, YACSA is a 5-person operation that operates as the state's recognised collective voice on youth policy, coordinating across community organisations, local councils, educators, researchers, and government departments. It is governed by a board and funded through annual membership subscriptions and likely government grants, with no parent company or external ownership structure disclosed.

YACSA's product portfolio splits across four lines. For young people, it runs Youth Co-Lab, the Youth Info Hub, Young Voices Bright Futures, and The Smashed Avocado — a dedicated online media platform at smashedav.com.au where SA young people publish stories and unpack issues. For the sector, it operates Communities of Practice (free bi-monthly online sessions), Workshops and Training, and Youth Participation programs. For policy and advocacy, it publishes Policy Priorities, State Budget Analysis, Election Priorities 2026, formal Policy Submissions, and the State of the Sector report derived from a Youth Sector Mapping Project. Membership services form the commercial backbone, with tiered annual subscriptions across young members (free), individual members ($45 concession / $95 standard), organisational members ($165 emerging to $1,250 large, scaled by revenue), local government members ($350 regional / $650 metropolitan), and affiliate members.

The business model is membership-fee driven with implicit government grant support, distributed through direct sales to organisational and council buyers and content marketing (e-bulletin, blog, publications). YACSA is structurally a coordination and advocacy platform rather than a technology company — its assets are institutional authority, sector relationships, and proprietary research outputs such as the State of the Sector report. No technology product, AI capability, app, or API surface is offered; competitive advantage derives from brand recognition (40+ years as state peak body), the statewide member network, and embedded access to government policy processes.

Name

Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA)

Legal name

Youth Affairs Council of South Australia Inc.

Website

https://yacsa.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

YACSA is South Australia's peak body for young people aged 12-25 and the youth sector, providing advocacy, policy submissions, sector research, and member coordination across community organisations and local councils from its Adelaide headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sector Advocacy

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAD

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Youth advocacy services
• Peak body coordination
• Youth policy research
• Sector capacity building
• Membership-based advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: YACSA generates revenue through various membership categories including individual members, organisational members, local government members, and affiliate members. These annual subscriptions fund the organization's advocacy, policy work, and sector coordination activities.
2. Government Funding: As South Australia's peak body for young people and the youth sector, YACSA likely receives government grants and funding to support its advocacy and sector coordination functions, though specific funding details are not disclosed on the website.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YACSA is the peak body representing the interests of young South Australians aged 12–25 and the youth sector that supports them. It delivers advocacy, policy submissions, sector research (including State of the Sector reports), professional development through Communities of Practice and workshops, and youth engagement programs (Youth Co-Lab, The Smashed Avocado, Young Voices Bright Futures). The organization funds its work through annual memberships across individual, organisation, local government, and affiliate categories.

Product overview

YACSA operates as a peak body organization providing a platform for collaboration, advocacy, and collective action for young people and the youth sector in South Australia. The organization offers a unified suite of programs and services including youth engagement initiatives (Youth Co-Lab, Youth Info Hub, Young Voices Bright Futures, The Smashed Avocado), sector development programs (Communities of Practice, Workshops and Training, Youth Participation), policy and advocacy resources (State Budget Analysis, Election Priorities 2026, Policy Priorities, Policy Submissions, State of the Sector Report), and membership services. These offerings work together to strengthen systems and opportunities that shape young people's lives across South Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Smashed Avocado: A dedicated website for SA young people to unpack issues and share their stories.
• Youth Co-Lab
• Youth Info Hub

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership scheme providing voting/non-voting categories for young people, individuals, organisations, local councils, and affiliate bodies; underpins advocacy, policy input and sector coordination activities.
• Youth Co-Lab A YACSA program providing young people with opportunities to collaborate, share ideas, and contribute to youth sector initiatives.
• The Smashed Avocado A dedicated online platform for South Australian young people to unpack issues and share their stories.
• Communities of Practice Online bi-monthly sessions for people working across the youth sector in South Australia to connect and share knowledge.
• Workshops and Training Professional development and training opportunities for the youth sector in South Australia.
• Policy Submissions YACSA's formal submissions to government inquiries, policies, consultations, and proposed bills at state and federal levels.
• State of the Sector Report A comprehensive report synthesizing findings from surveying and consulting workers across the South Australian youth sector, presenting a snapshot of the sector's current state.

Named customers22 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

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AccareminorOthersAccare is listed as an organisational member of YACSA, representing organisations serving young people in South Australia.
• Burnside CouncilminorOthersBurnside Council is a local government member of YACSA, committed to supporting young people and strengthening youth outcomes.
• Campbelltown CouncilminorOthersCampbelltown Council is a local government member of YACSA.
• Charles Sturt CouncilminorOthersCharles Sturt Council is a local government member of YACSA.
• Holdfast Bay CouncilminorOthersHoldfast Bay Council is a local government member of YACSA.
• City of MarionminorOthersCity of Marion is a local government member of YACSA.
• Mount Barker CouncilminorOthersMount Barker Council is a local government member of YACSA.
• City of OnkaparingaminorOthersCity of Onkaparinga is a local government member of YACSA.
• City of Tea Tree GullyminorOthersCity of Tea Tree Gully is a local government member of YACSA.
• City of SalisburyminorOthersCity of Salisbury is a local government member of YACSA.
• Whyalla CouncilminorOthersWhyalla Council is a local government member of YACSA.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS): National peak body for the Australian community and social services sector. Operates a comparable peak-body/advocacy model to YACSA but across the full social services sector rather than youth only.
• Salvation Army Australia: Large multi-service nonprofit providing youth services, homelessness support, and community programs; listed as a YACSA member (Salvation Army SA). Overlaps in mission but at much greater scale and scope.
• TAFE SA: South Australia's public vocational education provider, listed as a YACSA member/partner. Adjacent in the youth education and training ecosystem rather than competing as a peak body.
• Mission Australia: Major Australian nonprofit delivering youth homelessness, employment, and social services, and a listed YACSA member. Operates as a service delivery organisation rather than a peak body but is part of YACSA's member ecosystem.
• headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation: Australia's primary youth mental health organisation. Shares the youth-focused mission and is an adjacent participant in the same policy and funding ecosystem as YACSA.
• The Smith Family: National nonprofit focused on children's education and young people's pathways, with a comparable youth-development mission and Australian-wide footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation for Young Australians (FYA): Major national foundation delivering research, advocacy, and programs for young Australians aged 12-25. Overlaps with YACSA on research and policy but operates at national scale with significantly larger resourcing.

Direct peers

• CREATE Foundation: National nonprofit advocating for children and young people with lived experience in out-of-home care. Highly comparable membership/advocacy peak-body model focused on young people's policy voice.
• YACVic (Youth Affairs Council of Victoria): Victoria's state-level peak body for young people and the youth sector. Direct functional equivalent to YACSA in a different Australian state, with comparable advocacy, membership, and sector convening model.
• Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC): National peak body for the youth sector in Australia. Operates one level above state bodies like YACSA, providing policy representation, sector convening, and advocacy at the federal level.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YACSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yacsa
• Instagraminstagram.com/yacsa_sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA)