Sunshine Coast’s Kurt Jones from Co-Exist inspiring young people in conservation
Sunshine Coast visionary Kurt Jones may be only 20, but he is on a mission to save the planet and enlisted an army of young Australians to help him.
Sunshine Coast
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A young visionary who has shared his passion for conservation nationally has been going full steam ahead in growing his charity organisation to inspire younger generations to join the mission.
Kurt Jones, 20, has grown his charity Co-Exist since first launching in 2022 and has been crowned Queensland Young Achiever in the connecting communities category and most recently Sunshine Coast Young Citizen of the Year.
Mr Jones said his ultimate vision – and his organisation’s vision statement – was to inspire generations to Co-Exist with wildlife.
Co-Exist currently has nine branches across Australia led by young volunteers which organise monthly and fortnightly events such as beach clean-ups and tree planting as well as social events in the outdoors including hiking and snorkelling to help young people fall in love with nature.
“It’s very inspiring to see young people attracted to the vision and make it a reality in their own community,” Mr Jones said.
He said most of the volunteers had no experience in conservation work and one of his aims was to connect them to “feel good and do good.”
His organisation has grown from hosting 24 events in 2023 to already completing 40 events this year, clocking to 55 by the end of the month.
Mr Jones calculated Co-Exist had planted about 5000 trees and hosted 35 clean-ups across Australia in the last two years, equating to “hundreds and hundreds of kilos of rubbish”.
He hopes to someway start an educational program to empower future generations and grow his community to offer a branch in every major town and city, to potentially even have a global impact.
Mr Jones said the charity was his idea for a Year 11 business assessment in school and he began to build Co-Exist in Year 12, putting together a board and recruiting young people for the cause.
The charity officially launched in 2022.
His passion for the environment ignited when he was young, catching snakes or bringing injured wildlife home and frequently taking school trips to enjoy nature.
In Year 10, he began working for a koala rescue and he also volunteered at Australia Zoo and became involved in youth leadership.
Mr Jones grew up in Deception Bay and was given great opportunities by teachers who saw his potential despite being a “naughty kid” which had pushed him to build what he currently has today, he said.
Previously working as a media manager for Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, Mr Jones is aiming to gain philanthropic support to provide his full attention to the charity and hire more young people for the cause.
Outside of Co-Exist, Mr Jones is involved in the board at Queensland Koala Crusaders and is a board director for the Blackall Range Independent School.
Mr Jones said he grew up loving the Sunshine Coast when he went on holiday at Caloundra with his grandparents every year, and is grateful to now work in “one of the most beautiful places in Australia”.
He noted there has been a significant push for sustainability and environmental action on the Sunshine Coast, with many residents willing to make noise to protect the region’s natural beauty.
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