Our charity work
Caring for the people who care for people.
3RDSPACE is a registered charity. We run counsellor-led groups for young, early-career and frontline workers in the City of Sydney: the people who spend their days holding space for everyone else.
Why it matters
Helping others is draining. Nobody builds in the space to recover.
Youth workers, educators, support staff and peer facilitators carry heavy loads early in their careers, often with little supervision and fewer places to talk. That's where burnout starts, and where good people leave the sector.
How it's funded
Every program we sell helps fund a group that couldn't otherwise afford one.
- 1
Organisations book programs
Workplaces, student accommodation, clubs and universities pay for group programs for their people.
- 2
A share is set aside
Part of every payment goes into our charity fund, alongside grants and donations.
- 3
Community groups run at low cost
Frontline and community teams get the same counsellor-led program, at a price they can manage.
Our track record
The groups work. Here's what people told us.
Governance and transparency
3RDSPACE SYDNEY LIMITED is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and a charity registered with the ACNC. Our income and assets are used only for our charitable purposes.
ABN 72 692 818 296
Our board
Help someone who helps others find their space.
Your donation goes straight into running community groups: facilitators, materials and venues.
We're working towards deductible gift recipient status. Until then, donations are not tax deductible.
But where are the spaces to be human?
Why it matters
Helping others is draining.
Community services workers burn out at higher rates than the average Australian worker (34.7% vs 27.1%). Young adults report the most burnout of any age group, nearly half of people experiencing burnout don’t seek professional support, and two in five 18 to 24 year olds are persistently lonely. The people holding space for everyone else rarely get a space of their own…
so we build it.
The most powerful tool for human wellbeing isn't an app, a podcast, a pulse survey, or a mental health day:
It's other people.
We bring structured group connection inside the spaces you already have because the most connected communities aren’t accidental…
they’re structured.
When 3RDSPACE runs inside your community, people don't just show up.
They come back
When 3RDSPACE runs inside your community, people don't just show up.
They come back
What residents told us after Third Space at Scape student accommodation, Semester 2 2026
95% felt safe and supported.
93% left more connected to the people around them. 79% feel more at home where they live. 4.7 out of 5 average session rating.
from 56 feedback forms
The most powerful tool for human wellbeing isn't an app, a podcast, a pulse survey, or a mental health day:
It's other people.
We bring structured group connection inside the spaces you already have because the most connected communities aren’t accidental…
they’re structured.
How it’s funded
Organisations pay for our group programs
A share of every payment funds our charity work
Community groups run at low cost for people who help others
For your people
- Feeling more connected to the people around them
- Participating more deeply over time
- Feeling less alone
Our 2026 pilot
A group for frontline and community workers in the City of Sydney
Supported by the City of Sydney with in-kind venue hire
Run by our counsellors, with results shared here
For you
- Higher retention and return rates
- Stronger community culture
- More impact from existing programs
Every group is different, but each session follows the same 3 stages.
-
We bring the content. Evidence-informed topics, structured activities, and questions designed to open people up rather than shut them down.
-
We open the discussion. Real questions, honest responses, no advice-giving. Just people saying the things they don't usually say out loud, and finding out others feel the same way.
-
Every session closes with something practical to take away. A skill, a reflection, a shift. People leave different to how they arrived.
Accountable by design.
Who we work with:
3RDSPACE works wherever people come together.
Registered charity with the ACNC
ABN 72 692 818 296
Not-for-profit company limited by guarantee
Isabel Burton, Chair
Bridget Flaherty, Treasurer
Shannon Frost, Secretary
Student Accommodation Providers
Universities & Colleges
Co-working spaces
Schools
Corporate & Workplaces
Community Centres
Aged Care & Retirement Villages
Your Facilitators
Therapist, Facilitator & Co-Founder
Spent a decade in corporate. Still recovering. Building something better.
Isabel Burton
Therapist, Facilitator & Co-Founder
Worked with some of the world's biggest storytellers. Now the story is this.
Shannon Frost
We bring psychology training, PACFA-registered counselling practice, and 20 years of corporate experience combined.
Support our work
Help someone who helps others find their space.
Every donation goes into running community groups: facilitators, materials and venues. We’re working towards deductible gift recipient status, so donations aren’t tax deductible yet.
The most powerful tool for human wellbeing isn't an app, a podcast, a pulse survey, or a mental health day:
It's other people.
We bring structured group connection inside the spaces you already have because the most connected communities aren’t accidental…
they’re structured.