Driven by her own experience with domestic violence, first-year Bond University law student Ruby Allen is turning pain into purpose — founding Kids of Purple to support young people facing similar struggles and using Bond’s unique entrepreneurship program, Transformer, to fully realise her vision.
Almost 40 per cent of Australian children are exposed to domestic violence, Ruby included. At the time, she felt isolated and searched the internet for information, but struggled to find resources or support she could understand as a young girl.
“I felt a lot of uncertainty because I didn’t know what behaviour was okay. I was fearful anything I did could make the situation worse for my family. And I sometimes struggled to sleep, as I was worried about what might happen the next day,” Ruby says.
“As a young person, it felt like I was on my own.
“As I grew older, and in talking to friends and peers, I realised it’s not an isolated issue — so many people experience domestic violence.”
Ruby’s experience ignited an ambition to close the information gap for children.
The beginnings of a not-for-profit
By Year 10 of high school, Ruby had devised Kids of Purple, a not-for-profit project aimed at providing young people facing domestic and family violence with accessible support. A member of the Gold Coast Junior Council at the time, Ruby leveraged her network to connect with local domestic violence organisations to gain insight and build on her knowledge. Feedback reinforced her observation: there was a gap in resources.
“In a way, it was disappointing to get confirmation that such an organisation didn’t exist,” Ruby says.
“As I began to work on Kids of Purple, I had other young people from school telling me they wished they had access to that sort of support when they had experienced domestic violence.
“That was a big push for me to keep working on it.”
Almost 40 per cent of Australian children are exposed to domestic violence, Ruby included. At the time, she felt isolated and searched the internet for information, but struggled to find resources or support she could understand as a young girl.
“I felt a lot of uncertainty because I didn’t know what behaviour was okay. I was fearful that anything I did could make the situation worse for my family. And I sometimes struggled to sleep, as I was worried about what might happen the next day,” Ruby says.
“As a young person, it felt like I was on my own.
“As I grew older, and in talking to friends and peers, I realised it’s not an isolated issue — so many people experience domestic violence.”
Ruby’s experience ignited an ambition to close the information gap for children.
2 in 5 Australian children are exposed to domestic violence
The beginnings of a not-for-profit
By Year 10 of high school, Ruby had devised Kids of Purple, a not-for-profit project aimed at providing young people facing domestic and family violence with accessible support. A member of the Gold Coast Junior Council at the time, Ruby leveraged her network to connect with local domestic violence organisations to gain insight and build on her knowledge. Feedback reinforced her observation: there was a gap in resources.
“In a way, it was disappointing to get confirmation that such an organisation didn’t exist,” Ruby says.
“As I began to work on Kids of Purple, I had other young people from school telling me they wished they had access to that sort of support when they had experienced domestic violence.
“That was a big push for me to keep working on it.”
Ruby created a website and began raising awareness of her project amongst ministers and industry stakeholders. She recognised she needed business guidance to develop her ideas and bring real change. Then she found Bond University.
In her final year of high school, Ruby participated in the Bond Business School Year 12 Extension Program and was excited to learn how Bond’s Transformer program could support her business ideas. Transformer is an Australian-first entrepreneurship program offered as a fee-free, extracurricular option to students from all disciplines.
“I really enjoyed the campus, the atmosphere, and the opportunities on offer,” Ruby says.
“I have this organisation but there’s a lot of things I’m still learning about business, so I saw a lot of value in having someone guide me and help take Kids of Purple where I want it to go.”
As a top-performing student in her extension program, Ruby was awarded a part-fee scholarship through the extension program, as well as a Bond Excellence Scholarship. Passionate about social justice, she began a Bachelor of Laws in January 2025 and immediately started working with the Transformer program on Kids of Purple.
Drawing courage from a coach
Ruby was paired with registered psychologist and Transformer Coach, Dr Cecile le Roux, and got to work. Within six months, they refined the vision and values of Kids of Purple, connected with a graphic designer, improved communications for the young audience, prepared speeches, and identified opportunities within Ruby’s network.
“I experience moments of doubt where, as a young person, I don’t feel qualified enough to be running this project. I get imposter syndrome,” Ruby says.
“Having Cecile encourage me has meant so much. It’s taken a lot of pressure off my shoulders because if I have concerns, I can confide in her and we break them down step by step.”
Cecile catches up with Ruby each week to check progress on her project.
“Coaching creates an accountability mechanism, and we all need that as humans. That really helps in completing tasks,” Cecile says.
“I always bring students back to their ‘why’. The meaning behind their projects is what keeps them going.”
Before she was introduced to Transformer, Ruby had ideas and a mission she struggled to articulate.
Now, through every element of her project, she considers her ‘why’: to ensure future generations feel less isolated when experiencing domestic or family violence.
“Cecile guided me in finding my aims and ensuring I’m pushing those forward without getting lost in the massive space of domestic violence resources.”
Meet my mentor
Ambition grows when you’re in the company of people who share drive, challenge thinking, and celebrate wins. Meet Ruby’s Transformer coach and mentor, registered psychologist (AHPRA) and accredited coaching psychologist (ISCP), Dr Cecile le Roux.
How does coaching work in Transformer?
Transformer allocates students with a coach — this might be an alumni, an academic, or an industry expert. We meet regularly to tap into various resources based on the student’s start-up, improve soft skills, and work towards concrete outcomes such as a business plan. Given my psychology background and Ruby’s passion for helping people through domestic violence, there was an immediate match.
Why did you want to work with your student founder?
I saw this perfect combination of motivation, dedication, and a passion for her ‘why’. From an industry perspective, I had an immediate understanding of the depth of the problem she was addressing, and I understand how trauma can impact someone’s life. I know there’s a need for this resource. Experiencing or witnessing domestic violence as a young person always has an impact and I see adults coming to psychology offices to deal with the aftermath. But the sooner young people can comprehend the impact their experience is having on them, it can minimise the ongoing effects.
How has Ruby grown during her time with Transformer?
She has created a lot of beautiful connections with people this year and her openness has allowed her to attract more support for young people. Her vision has also expanded as her network has grown. She’s gained insight into how she could effect change from a system perspective and a government perspective, and we’re looking at education as a potential pathway. Her understanding of business processes, her target audience, and her product, being her website, has improved as well.
What are you most proud of about Ruby?
Ruby is eloquent in how she communicates, but I’m most proud of her confidence and boldness. She believes so strongly in her project and doesn’t wait until things are necessarily perfect to go to the next step. She’s willing to take risks and move forward. She puts herself out there, has addressed the Queensland Family and Child Commission Youth Summit, and spreads awareness of her mission.
Why is it valuable to be a coach?
I love being a Transformer coach because you see a beautiful person turn a dream into a reality. I watch people disrupt an area by tackling a big problem and it’s exciting to be part of that. I’ve always been motivated by making a meaningful difference rather than making a profit, so these are the kinds of projects I am drawn to. We fuel each other’s passion, and when we’re creating something the world needs, it is beautiful.
I almost feel a maternal pride because we’re in the trenches together, continually overcoming challenges, and then finally their projects germinate and start to flourish.
Empowering young people
Ruby continues to make improvements to her educational website. Kidsofpurple.org.au uses youth-friendly language to explain domestic violence, healthy relationships, and Australian law. There are FAQs answered by domestic violence organisations to guide young people through how to respond to certain scenarios, including what might happen if they contact police, as well as links to resources, blogs sharing experiences, and various projects.
“My hope is Kids of Purple becomes recognised as a space where young people can have their experiences validated and feel empowered to seek help,” Ruby says.
“Eventually, I would love to have a live chat function that connects to trained domestic violence and youth workers, so young people have a direct line to support.”
Through Kids of Purple, Ruby has contributed to the creation of training videos for Brisbane Catholic Education, so staff can share resources with students. She hopes to contribute to further resources within the education sector.
“If I had access to more resources when I was younger, I would have realised I wasn’t alone in my experience. It would have given me the confidence to express that I was struggling,” she says.
“That would have reduced my feelings of constant worry and allowed me to come to terms with what was happening.”
Ruby remains open-minded about where her law degree might take her, but Kids of Purple has inspired her to consider law reform and even politics.
You can follow Kids of Purple on Instagram @kidsofpurple.org.au.
Published Wednesday, 13 August, 2025.
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