Sock Syndicate

Met Jemimah McMurray, my partner in starting social enterprise project Sock Syndicate, at USLS 2017. She came up with the idea of selling creative socks to help the homeless.

The idea warmed my heart. I was passionate about helping the homeless, and I wanted to do something to advance the united nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, and reducing inequality within and among countries.

We agreed give 100 percent of our profits to charity. For every pair of socks sold, we would also give a pair of socks to the homeless.

Being the businesswoman, I am, I took out my notepad and started to come up with a business plan. We recruited a few more USLS delegates to join our efforts.

The Sock Syndicate project began right after we arrived home from the USLS. We raised around Australian $2,125 for Youth Off the Streets, an organisation that supports disadvantaged youths. We also gave 540 pairs of socks to the needy and homeless in Sydney.

I also started The Plastic Lid Project after USLS. It aims to raise awareness of plastic waste and encourage individuals and communities to be more mindful of their waste.

Within weeks, the project had more than 100 households, 17 businesses, music festivals and a high school and a university on board.

Both projects were created thanks to USLS. I started by simply taking a chance after sharing ideas with my fellow delegates.

This shows the value of openly sharing ideas and actively connecting with different people at USLS. There are so many wonderful people here with beautiful passions and ideas. All you have to do is talk to them.

We can no longer sit and do nothing while waiting for others to change. Every one of us is the change we are looking for.