Eco-friendly toilet paper brand Who Gives A Crap is teaming up with Sydney-based non-profit social enterprise Young Change Agents to help 20,000 students launch their own social enterprises.
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The Melbourne-based social enterprise, which was founded in 2012 by Simon Griffiths, Danny Alexander and Jehan Ratnatunga, says the Impact Boss program is designed to empower students across the globe to tackle real-world problems through business.
Impact Boss will officially roll out in 2026 across Australia and the US. The program will see students identify problems in their communities, reframe them as opportunities, and then design and launch their own social enterprises across four sprints.
With a goal to reach 20,000 students during the first two years, the program will also equip participants with the skills needed to support them on their journey to becoming the next generation of social entrepreneurs.
According to the Young Change Agent’s website, the delivery options of the program are flexible, with one-day programs, two-day design sprints with a pitch night, or full-term or semester-long programs available.
The not-for-profit social enterprise actively helps youth from all walks of life to see problems as opportunities through social entrepreneurship and has so far supported more than 196,000 students and trained thousands of educators across over 1,170 schools worldwide.
CEO and co-founder Margaret O’Brien has previously spoken about the thousands of youth programs run by Young Change Agents over nine years and how the most effective way for students to learn is through role-modelling what’s possible.
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The Impact Boss program can be adapted across school subjects and learning environments, and either run in schools or via a self-directed model through a purpose-built Entrepreneurial Learning Hub.
Who Gives A Crap offers 10 scholarships for young social entrepreneurs
Who Gives A Crap co-founder Jehan Ratnatunga confirmed the social enterprise will offer 10 Impact Boss scholarships to Australian schools for 2026, each worth $5,000, to help schools get started.
Each scholarship includes a 12-month license, professional development, all learning materials, and an educator ticket to the Young Change Agents’ E3 Unconference 2026 in Sydney.
“Ultimately, Impact Boss exists to make sure young people don’t just watch the future happen, they lead it,” Ratnatunga says.
“We started with a simple, cheeky idea: sell toilet paper to help build toilets, with the goal of helping to solve one of the most off-track development goals: the sanitation crisis.”
Through Impact Boss, Who Gives A Crap wants to show young people that they can do it too.
“They’ll even get to sample our products — and one day, hopefully, we’ll get to sample theirs,” Ratnatunga says.
Students who participate in the program will have the opportunity to learn from Who Gives A Crap’s own startup journey, from learning how the brand approached customer research, prototyping and manufacturing, to its go-to-market strategy, with the goal of making impact fun, tangible and achievable.
Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of its profits to help provide clean water and toilets across the world, and to date, the social enterprise has donated over $18 million.
The company is expanding into new sales channels like supermarkets and introducing new product lines, such as garbage bags, in a bid to offer a full line of eco-friendly household goods.
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During the last seven years, Who Gives A Crap has grown about tenfold and currently delivers to nearly 40 countries.
New Who Gives A Crap research reveals 93% of Australians think schools should teach entrepreneurial skills
The launch of the Impact Boss program coincides with the release of new research by Who Gives A Crap, which found 93% of Australians think schools should be teaching entrepreneurial skills like creativity, problem-solving and financial literacy.
The research is based on a survey of 1,000 Australians, commissioned by Who Gives A Crap and conducted by Pureprofile in September 2025.
According to Ratnatunga, as AI and technology continue to reshape how the world lives and works, the need for creative, adaptable and future-ready skills has never been greater.
“These aren’t just nice to have anymore — they’re crucial skills for the next generation, if not all generations. As technology and AI evolve, the human skills of curiosity, empathy and lateral thinking become even more valuable,” he says.
The survey also found 56% of Australians feel they weren’t equipped with the skills to enter the workforce after they finished school, and nearly half of Australians (45%) don’t think young people feel empowered to solve big issues like climate change or inequality.
Ratnatunga says Who Gives A Crap believes harnessing creativity and problem-solving through entrepreneurship can help flip that.
“Consumers are demanding purpose-driven products, investors are backing impact-led businesses — the future of work is going to reward people who can blend profit with purpose,” he says.
“And the good news is, 87% of Australians agree young people should learn how to make a positive impact through their work. So, the appetite is there, we just need to build the skills and confidence to match it.”
