Bold Futures Appeal
In the calm of wide-open spaces, where young people feel more able to be themselves, Scarlett Austin is building something bigger.
Work shaped outside traditional clinical settings.
Through her vision for equine-assisted therapy, Scarlett is exploring new ways to connect with those who don’t respond to traditional models of care. She’s creating spaces where psychology, nature and connection come together, making it easier for young people to engage.
She is helping push her field in new directions.
Turning a concept into a model
Throughout her degree in Psychological Science, Scarlett has been building more than academic knowledge.
She’s been developing a concept – Heart Herd – that brings together evidence-based psychology with equine-assisted approaches to support young people and women in ways that feel accessible and safe.
Alongside her studies, she volunteers across the sector: supporting therapy providers, working with a horse rescue organisation, and contributing as a learning support teacher for students with diverse needs.
Each experience adds another layer.
Another insight into what works – and what’s missing.
Because while demand for support continues to grow, not all services reach the people who need them most.
Scarlett is focused on that gap.
The role of opportunity
Like many students, Scarlett’s capacity to build something alongside her degree is shaped by time, resources and access.
Donor support through the Student Opportunity Fund made that possible.
It gave her the breathing room to keep building, volunteering, refining her model, testing ideas and staying connected to the communities she hopes to serve.
Where this leads
Scarlett’s work is still emerging, but its direction is clear – earlier engagement and new pathways into support for people who might otherwise miss out.
It expands how care can be delivered across communities.
And when one person is supported to develop something new, that work doesn’t stay with them.
It grows into programs and reaches people they may never meet.
Be part of something bigger
There are ideas like this sitting inside students across the University right now.
With support, they can become reality.
When you give to the Student Opportunity Fund, you help bring these ideas into the world – ideas that can reshape how care is delivered and who it reaches.
This is how something small grows and reaches far beyond where it started.
Start something bigger.
