Music festival all about resilience

A HIGH energy music festival was held for year 9 students last week.

Part of the Reach Foundation’s Hero’s Day, the event aimed to get young people thinking about who they are and how they want to be remembered.

Held at The Goods Shed, 400 students from Phoenix College, Ballarat Clarendon College, and Ararat College were involved in the program.

Lucifer Jorgensen from Phoenix College said she hopes the day helps the community come together and talk about who they want to be.

“I want to be known as a girl who helps people, who loves and cares for everyone and who you can always go to for advice,” she said.

As part of the event facilitators sought to aid students in reframing how challenges are perceived and faced, as well as building social and emotional skills, increasing self-awareness and developing meaningful connections with others.

“Reach has been a really big part of my life since I was 17, and the second I came in, there was always this ambition to be up on that stage and do it,” said facilitator Bri Lalley.

“My job is a lot around energy and playing with energy, making sure it is where it needs to be.

“I think young people are very easily shoved to the side sometimes or put down, and people need to listen to what they say.

“We’re the catalysts for really important conversations for teenagers and young people.”

Wellbeing professionals are present for the entire duration of the workshops.

Reach works with more than 40,000 young people Australia-wide.

“Year 9’s a really tricky year where you’re going into school figuring out your way, and you can get easily lost, but there have been a lot of honest conversations today,” Ms Lalley said.