Addiction, crime, and violence are more complex today than ever. Young people, women, and families are navigating a world where exposure to risk and harmful influences is constant. When we talk about social harm, we mean alcohol, drugs, vaping, gambling, gaming, and the constant pull of digital and social media environments all competing for attention at once. It’s no longer one issue in isolation; it can feel overwhelming.
Yet too often, education, support, and guidance are not reaching people early enough to prevent harm.
"We are not just another program. We are building a prevention framework for the next generation of Western Australians."
The Yellow Ribbon Project, founded by Jade Lewis, is a prevention movement based in Western Australia, working to protect young people, women, and families from preventable social harm.
For over 20 years, we have worked across schools, communities, and the justice system alongside including those impacted by addiction, violence, crime, exploitation, and other social harms.
Our work is evidence-based and informed by frontline practice and lived experience. We address the drivers of social harm to stop it at the start.
Protecting future generations from addiction, crime, violence and other social harms.
Our mission is to reduce and prevent social harm by working alongside young people, women and families across Western Australia through research, education, prevention, early intervention and community-based support.
At Yellow Ribbon Project Australia, our Prevention Framework explains how we work to reduce and prevent social harm across young people, women and families throughout Western Australia.
Social harm refers to a wide range of issues that affect wellbeing, safety and connection in communities. This includes mental health challenges, suicide and self-harm, addiction and substance misuse, family and domestic violence, social isolation, youth disengagement, homelessness, exploitation and offending behaviour.
These issues are often interconnected. Factors such as trauma, family stress, disconnection, addiction and other difficult life experiences can increase vulnerability over time. Rather than waiting for crisis to occur, we focus on prevention and early support.
Our framework is practical, evidence-informed, and designed to strengthen protective factors. If you would like to learn more about our work or get involved, please get in touch.
Someone once said, "It's better to build a fence at the top of a cliff than an ambulance at the bottom". Prevention is always better than cure.
Jade Lewis is the Founder and CEO of the Yellow Ribbon Project and has spent more than 25 years working alongside young people, families, schools, and communities across Western Australia. Drawing on her own lived experience, a Master’s Degree in Criminology, and decades of frontline work, Jade has become a recognised leader in prevention, youth development, and social impact. Her work has taken her from metropolitan and regional schools throughout WA to correctional facilities across Australia and Indonesia, providing a unique understanding of the pathways that lead to harm—and the opportunities that prevent it.
A best-selling author, award-winning community advocate, and passionate prevention leader, Jade has dedicated her career to helping young people build resilience, make informed choices, and realise their potential. In recognition of her contribution to community change, she was inducted into the Western Australian Women’s Hall of Fame and was named the winner of the Community, Social Enterprise and Not-for-Profit Award at the Business News 40under40 Awards.
Today, she leads the Yellow Ribbon Project’s mission to prevent addiction, violence, crime, and other social harms before they start. Her goal is zero: zero addiction, zero crime, zero violence in WA communities.
To purchase Jade’s books or learn more, please visit: jadelewis.com.
Chairperson
Treasurer and State General Manager of Business Banking at ANZ
Board Member and Businesswoman
Board Member and Proprietor & Manager at St James Newstart Pharmacy.
The Yellow Ribbon Project Australia began in 2004 as Jade Lewis and Friends Inc., with a vision of building communities free from drugs, crime, and violence. In our early years, we focused on youth drug and alcohol awareness through prevention, intervention, and recovery programs.
In 2009, the Yellow Ribbon Project Australia (YRPA) campaign was officially launched, expanding its focus to rehabilitation and reintegration for women, young people in the justice system, and those at risk of offending. Through research, lived experience, and collaboration with experts, we developed practical, evidence-informed approaches designed to address service gaps and align with justice sector priorities.
Our broader prevention framework takes a whole-of-life approach to reducing harm and strengthening protective factors across young people, women, and families—designed to be both preventative and sustainable, not just responsive.
Over the years, we have secured a range of government and community grants, received multiple awards and built strong partnerships. One of its most significant milestones was pioneering Western Australia’s first evidence-based, gender-responsive mentoring program for female offenders through a government Social Innovation contract. Ourmodel is flexible and scalable and can support women on court diversion, women on remand, neurodiverse young people, children in detention, and at-risk students in schools.
Today, Yellow Ribbon Project Australia continues to evolve with a strong focus on prevention and early intervention, working with young people, families, schools, and communities across WA.
We partner with schools, businesses, churches, and community organisations who share our vision of a generation free from violence, crime, and addiction. Tell us about yourself below and we’ll be in touch.
Whether you have a question or want to learn more about the Yellow Ribbon Project, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.
