Youngkind has officially launched, a new strategic insights agency built to tackle the fast-moving shifts and challenges facing young people today.
Founded by Amanda Windus, former managing director QLD at The Lab insights & strategy, Youngkind was inspired by her kids. Seeing their unique view of the world led to a growing realisation that the old belief that “adults know best” no longer works.
Embedded in youth culture, Youngkind builds on youth reporting from platforms like Vice Media, with a sharp focus on Australian youth and tapping into insights from academic research, parenting experts, and mental health, and democratising the knowledge to get it in the hands of government and corporate leaders, so they can make decisions serving Australia’s youth.
Youngkind will facilitate nuanced conversation with 10 to 18-year-olds, to get a better view of their lives and how they’re both shaping and being shaped by Australia’s unique culture.
“This conversation is at the heart of what we do—engaging young people as the experts in their own lives and giving them a platform to share their stories and ideas, so we can navigate this unpredictable terrain together,” said Windus.
“There’s a crucial need to shift this dynamic, to see things from their perspective, and co-create solutions that genuinely make a difference—not by resting on assumptions, but by actively listening,” said Windus.
This strategic youth insights agency isn’t just about bridging generational gaps—it’s about empowering brands and organisations with strategies to deliver more inclusive and innovative solutions that young people feel are truly made for them.
“There’s a tendency to obsess over hard numbers but miss the mark on real understanding. Surveys can lead to forced opinions and overlook ‘the why’. We need to dig deeper to address the challenges and opportunities young people face today, which is why Youngkind was conceived. Rethinking how we connect, getting to the heart of matters. Not just identifying problems, but gaining the insight to solve them,” said Windus.
“We’ve been slow to engage young people in the decision-making that shapes their world,” said Windus. “We’ve boxed them into labels and underestimated their power. With Gen-Alpha set to become the largest generation in the history of the world, we can’t afford to be late to the game like we were with Gen-Z”.
Youngkind’s team includes Sarah Lorimer, an innovation & futures specialist and founder of Futurely, and Nicki Karet, a UK-based expert in youth insights and founder of Sherbert, who has built a rich library of intelligence tracking the lives of tweens, teens, and families, and has helped shape the MRS kids and youth research standards.
More news will follow from Youngkind’s investigation into youth culture in Australia, exploring the intergenerational cusp of Gen Alpha and younger Gen Zs. This research brings the world of 10–16s into clear focus, identifying the paths government and visionary corporate leaders need to take to drive relevance and shape a future built by and for the next generation.
