Cody Schaeffer OAM

Founder and Director of Borderline Australia

2022 QLD Young Australian of the Year Nominee

From the age of 15, Cody Schaeffer has been creating programs and events to change the lives of young people in Queensland for the better.

His first effort was a charity concert to raise money for a child in the Goondiwindi community. Then at 16, he launched G-YOUTH (Gundy Youth Studio) – a weekly after-school event to get teenagers off the streets and learning hip-hop dance instead. This initiative won the Community Event of the Year award at the local Goondiwindi Australia Day Awards in 2011.

More recently, Cody’s focus has been on mental health issues. While working as a radio presenter, he founded Borderline Australia. It’s a non-profit organisation dedicated to changing the lives of teenage Australians through youth mental health education and programs, including his popular Borderline Youth Camp.

With a drive, dedication and commitment to helping young people, Cody has never shied away from being an instigator of change. For his efforts, he was named Brisbane’s 2020 Young Citizen of the Year.