Our story

Following an eye-opening trip to Antarctica in 2005, Jason Kimberley founded Cool Australia. The goal? To turn a passion for equitable, real-world education into tangible global impact.

Since 2008, over 201,000 Australian educators have signed-up to teach with Cool.org teaching resources in their classrooms. The result? Better student engagement and a greater understanding of critical environmental and social issues.

An organisation that started with humble beginnings has grown into something much bigger. Cool.org is the evolution of a simple, yet important idea; that our educators, and our kids, deserve the best.

Why we exist

Student Benefits

Indicator All
Knowledge, confidence, and skills in environmental/social issues have improved 78%
Attitude towards environmental/social issues has changed 75%
Engage in independent learning by investigating further what they have learned 58%
Take action on environmental/social issues at school 66%
Discuss what they have learned with friends and family 53%
Engagement levels in their learning have increased 76%
Are more hopeful about the future 59%

Most important issues in Australia

From the Mission Australia Youth Survey

1. Our
Environment

44% identified it as one of the most important issues in Australia.

2. Equity and Discrimination

31% identified it as one of the most important issues in Australia.

3. The Economy & Financial Matters

31% identified it as one of the most important issues in Australia.

4. Mental
Health

30% identified it as one of the most important issues in Australia.

Hope and Action: Our DNA

The Cool.org Hope Framework

We understands our responsibility when tackling sensitive and potentially distressing topics. We have created the Cool.org Hope Framework to use when discussing challenging issues to ensure psychological safety for teachers and students.

The Cool.org Act Framework

We understands our responsibility when tackling sensitive and potentially distressing topics. We have created the Cool.org Hope Framework to use when discussing challenging issues to ensure psychological safety for teachers and students.

Our leadership

CEO - Thea Stinear

Education leader and mentor with a deep understanding of the education sector, having won multiple awards for her work in education. A business leader with exceptional skills as an analyst, strategist and forward-thinking guru.

Founder - Jason Kimberley

An adventure enthusiast, photographer and man of action. Following a trip to Antarctica in 2005, Jason founded Cool with an uncompromising passion for providing high-quality, real-world equitable education for all.

Chair - Jan Owen AM

Highly regarded social entrepreneur, innovator, influencer and author, spending the last 25 years growing Australia’s youth, social enterprise and innovation sectors. Sought after global speaker and strategy advisor.

Our board

Jan Owen AM
Chair

Jason Kimberley

Helen Whitehead

Josh Cubillo

Julie Buxton

What educators say:

  • “

    There is so much that is demanded of teachers now, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The Cool resources are planned with every aspect of the curriculum in mind, so we can rest easy and teach with confidence that we are meeting the needs of students and the curriculum.

    “
    Renee ChenPrimary Teacher, QLD
  • “

    Cool Australia, one of the coolest sites to save time and find interesting, relevant and impactful lessons and ideas. When you’re looking for differentiated learning its a real winner!

    “
    Jessica HenryPrimary Teacher, VIC
  • “

    I would like my children to look at the world with optimism, and not cynicism. Perhaps it’s naive but to some extent I feel that the weight of the world is on their shoulders and it is our duty to make them feel hope in the world that they can be part of action and change. Cool allows teachers a jumping off point for this

    “
    Elizabeth MunroPrimary Teacher, NSW

Get in touch

If you want to know more, say hello or have a chat, you can hit the button below to contact us. One of the Cool.org team will be in touch as soon as humanly possible.