SAY: AU provides FREE In-Person and Online Creative Arts Programs for Young People Who Stutter

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Our Team at SAY: AU is dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, deep-listening, accepting, empathic, and loving environment for all young people who stutter.

Over 70 million people stutter across the world, including 9% of all children. Young people who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing, and bullying. Many will silence themselves out of fear and embarrassment, and withdraw from peers, teachers, and society, leaving them feeling isolated and alone......And without a voice.

 

SAY: AU is a Melbourne-based national not-for-profit organisation and ACNC registered health promotion charity that supports, empowers, and educates young people who stutter aged 7-18 years and the world that surrounds them.

 

We offer FREE comprehensive and innovative educational arts programs that address the physical, social, and emotional impacts of stuttering. We build a community of acceptance, friendship, and encouragement where young people who stutter can develop the confidence and the love for communication that will help them to thrive.

Our creative arts programs are FREE so that young people who stutter from all socioeconomic backgrounds can access our community.

We believe that every young person who stutters has a voice that matters and it is a voice that deserves to be heard.

MEET THE TEAM

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Rich Stephens

PRESIDENT, PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR, & CAMP DIRECTOR
Bio

Rich Stephens

President, Programming Director, & Camp Director

RICH & HIS SON HARRISON.

Rich Stephens is a person who stutters. Since the age of 4 years, Rich has lived with the physical, social, and emotional impact of stuttering.

In 2019 Rich fulfilled his dream of supporting young people who stutter and their families with establishing SAY: AU.

Rich was born and raised in Manchester, UK. He graduated from the University of Salford, UK, in 2009 as a Psychiatric Nurse. In his nursing career, Rich worked with children and adults with a range of mental health difficulties in the UK, Ireland, and in New Zealand where his role at Te Whare Marie was a Maori Specialist Community Psychiatric Nurse. In 2017 Rich graduated from the University of Manchester, UK, with a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy with First Class honours. In 2018 Rich graduated from the University of Manchester, UK, with a Master of Science in Neuroimaging for Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience.

In 2015 Rich began his journey with SAY when he volunteered at Camp SAY as a bunk counsellor. In the following years Rich became more involved with SAY in the US, becoming part of the Camp SAY Leadership team. In 2018, helped to plan and run the first Camp SAY West Coast in Los Angeles.

Rich, inspired by the global SAY and stuttering community, his young son, and wanting to provide a safe and accepting community for all young people who stutter, is the driving force behind SAY: AU and inspires all of the important work that SAY: AU does.

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Elaina Kefalianos

VICE PRESIDENT AND RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Bio

Elaina Kefalianos

Vice President & Research Director



Elaina Kefalianos, Vice President, has been involved with SAY: AU since its inception in 2018. She graduated from La Trobe University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Speech Pathology with Honours and was awarded her PhD in stuttering from the University of Melbourne in 2013. Whilst training to become a speech pathologist, Elaina developed a strong passion for working with and supporting people who stutter. Since graduating, she has worked exclusively in the field of stuttering across clinical, teaching and research roles. She has established an international profile for herself as a clinical researcher in the field, is the lead of teaching and senior lecturer for the Master of Speech Pathology course at the University of Melbourne and lead of the stuttering unit within the Centre for Neuroscience of Speech at the University of Melbourne. Elaina is a published researcher and has been an invited speaker at 4 international seminars.

Elaina has a strong belief in SAY: AU's ethos that 'every voice matters and deserves to be heard' and wants every young person who stutters to develop this belief. The most exciting aspect of her involvement in SAY: AU is seeing young people who stutter meet each other, develop a sense of community with one another and a confidence in their voice and what they have to say.

Rich has given Elaina personal insights into his experience of stuttering as a child and now as an adult which has further strengthened Elaina's passion and motivation for working with young people who stutter in Australia to create a safe and supportive environment for them to express themselves and enjoy communicating. Becoming a mother has inspired Elaina even more to make sure that every child knows that what they have to say is important and deserves to be heard.

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Jackson Farley

DEVELOPMENTS DIRECTOR & TEACHING ARTIST
Bio

Jackson Farley

Director of Developments


Jackson is a young Melbournian who works as a project engineer in the construction industry. He is a person who stutters. Jackson has a passion for helping and connecting with people and he enjoys bringing his optimistic and positive energy to the world of SAY: Australia.

With an Honours degree in Civil Engineering and Business from Swinburne University of Technology, Jackson brings a unique set of skills to SAY: Australia and hopes that he can help young people who stutter build the confidence to trust their voice and own their individuality. Outside of his professional life, Jackson enjoys running, reading, podcasts, blogging, food, music, nature and film, amongst many other things.

Since being involved with SAY: Australia, Jackson has witnessed first-hand how powerful and inspiring the community at SAY: Australia truly is. Jackson has strong ambitions to connect as many young children who stutter as possible, empowering them to believe that their voice truly matters and deserves to be heard.

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Georgie Johnson

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY DIRECTOR & CAMP DIRECTOR
Bio

Georgie Johnson

Social Media Community Director & Camp Director


Georgie is a speech pathologist, and is currently working as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Melbourne. Georgie is completing her PhD investigating supports for school-age children who stutter. Outside of work, Georgie is a mad sportswoman who enjoys watching and playing all things sport.

As a clinician and researcher in the field of stuttering, Georgie has been privileged to work with, and get to know many young people who stutter. In 2018 when SAY: AU launched, Georgie took part in the vision coming to life, as we started our first programs. She feels incredibly passionate about helping young people who stutter to feel confident, and to know that their voices really truly matter. She is a proud ally to the stuttering community and feels honoured to be able to watch our young people grow and shine through SAY: AU.
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Mitchell Tampion

YOUNG PERSON LIAISON AND SUPPORT FOR NEW FAMILIES
Bio

Mitchell Tampion

Young Person Liaison and Support for New Families


Mitchell is a factory worker in construction and is a person who stutters. At the age of 16, Mitchell was one of SAY: AU's first participants in the 2019 CONFIDENT VOICES My Share Project, and he has been heavily involved with SAY: AU ever since. After graduating as SAY: AU's first Alumni in 2021, Mitchell became a volunteer Teaching Artist at SAY: AU, and in 2023 was part of the first ever Camp SAY: AU Team as Bunk Counsellor.

Mitchell cherishes his time at SAY: AU, especially now when supporting and spending time with the kids & teens who stutter and fellow volunteers taking part in the CONFIDENT VOICES program. Mitchell has formed strong relationships and bonds within the SAY: AU community and many magical life-long memories. Being in a SAY: AU space truly brightens up Mitchell's week.

Being the only person to date who has experienced the SAY: AU community both as a participant and volunteer / team member who stutters, Mitchell brings a unique viewpoint and understanding of the SAY: AU space, one that he wants to use to support other kids & teens who stutter, and families, new to the SAY: AU community, or interested in discovering more about the organisation.

Mitchell has featured / spoken about SAY: AU and his journey on radio shows, podcasts, the SAY (US) online Gala, and also featured on the documentary The Time It Takes that premiered on the Melbourne International Film Festival Platform in 2022, and can be viewed on our main page.

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Bec Seal

PEER PARENT LIAISON AND SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
Bio

Bec Seal

Peer Parent Liaison and Support For Families


Bec is Mum to Indie who is a person who stutters. Bec was introduced to SAY AU in 2021 by their SLP and has experienced firsthand the Benefit of SAY AU with Indie attending online programs and camp. Bec saw quickly the sense of belonging experienced when first starting with the online programs and then the life changing experience of attending camp.

For Bec, the journey of supporting her child through developing and living with a stutter has had its own challenges and it was clear how valuable it was for parents to connect with others.

In her professional life, Bec works as a Mental Health Social Worker who provides support to young people and their families and is passionate about building the systems and worlds around a young person to best support them.
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"Young people who stutter often live their lives in a world of fluency where they do not know anybody else who stutters. They often feel confusion, anger, shame, guilt, embarrassment, alone, and are often wrongly thought of as unintelligent, confused, shy, and quiet children - when in fact they have so many thoughts, feelings and words that they are bursting to share, if only they were given the time and space to do so!

This often leads to a fear of speaking in public situations and social anxiety! The need to hide their stutter becomes so strong that young people who stutter stop speaking! By silencing themselves, their thoughts, feelings, and voice, along with their stutter, are no longer heard!

These are feelings I know all to well as I am a person who stutters. It was only when, at the age of 35 years during my first year at Camp SAY in America, I heard for the first time “It’s really Ok to stutter’ that I gave myself permission to stutter, unapologetic and free from any guilt, shame, or embarrasment. I had found a community that accepted me for who I was and it changed my life for the better.

Seeing any child give up on communicating is a tragedy that I, and everybody at SAY: AU, does not accept.

SAY: AU is here for every young person who stutters to know the reassurance and relief of connecting with others who stutter. At SAY: AU we affirm that ‘Every Voice Matters’, to help young people who stutter embrace their voices and dreams, to help them say the words that shouldn’t go unsaid, to help them live each day with courage instead of fear, and to let them know that ‘It’s really OK to stutter’."

 

Rich Stephens - President

 

Thank you to our supporters for helping young people who stutter to know that their voice truly matters!

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A Melbourne-based National not-for-profit and ACNC registered health promotion charity

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© 2019 SAY: Australia ABN 84631362359

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