"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams" – Willy Wonka
Co-Founder, Co-CEO
Growing up, Lucy Thomas always figured that “someone should really do something about bullying.” Then Lucy realised: I am that someone. Now, more than a decade after launching PROJECT ROCKIT, Lucy’s whole life is dedicated to the cause. As a keynote speaker and facilitator, Lucy has personally worked with hundreds of thousands of young people all over the world, from Wangaratta to Texas, Wollongong to Auckland, Atherton to Perth. Lucy’s work has been honoured by UNICEF, The University of Melbourne, The Foundation of Young Australians, the global Family Online Safety Institute and they are a recipient of an Order of Australia Medal for service to youth and the issue of bullying.
But after building a career tackling bullying, Lucy’s life was fundamentally changed when they became the target of an extended pattern of bullying themselves. Instead of hiding away, Lucy took this as an opportunity to connect with even young Aussies and launch themself into advocating for their LGBTIQA+ community. They made global headlines in 2016 after standing up to a homophobic Uber driver and the story went viral (interview with the The Project here). Lucy has since wrapped these personal learnings into a widely received TEDx talk, Kindness: The ultimate rebellion against bullying.
With a blended academic background in Psychology and Creative Arts, Lucy is a mighty force of kindness, equipped with the precious ability to creatively engage young people to generate positive social change.
Awards and Honours:
- Order of Australia Medal for service to youth and against bullying (2019)
- ‘Driver of Change’, INStyle & Audi Women of Style Awards (2018)
- Rising Star Alumni Award Winner, University of Melbourne (2016)
- 100 Women of Influence recipient, Australian Financial Review and Westpac (2016)
- Unleashed Trailblazer Award Winner, The Foundation for Young Australians (2015)
- FOSI Outstanding Achievement in Cyber Safety, Washington DC (2013)
- 12 Global Champions for Children’s Rights in the Digital Age, UNICEF (2014)
- 30 Under 30 Awards Winner, Anthill Magazine (2010)
Boards and Working Groups:
- Facebook’s Global Safety Advisory Board
- Facebook’s Global Youth Advisory Council
- Twitter’s Global Trust and Safety Council
- PrideCup Board
- National Centre Against Bullying Executive
- Federal Working Group for Safety by Design, Office of the eSafety Commissioner