Youth consolidate skills to speak up, stand out

AT A special forum this week, Ballarat’s youth had the chance to gain the skills and space to advocate and present their authentic selves, benefiting the community.

About 200 year 10 students attended the inaugural FUEL youth summit at Civic Hall on Monday 16 March.

Through activities and addresses from youth leadership speakers, the event focused on confidence, leadership and practical skills for students.

Ballarat Clarendon College students Eric Whitley and Jasper Brouwer said they were acquiring vital knowledge to help them now and into the future.

“I find that I’m learning some very valuable leadership lessons as well as life lessons,” Eric said.

“I’m consolidating leadership skills,” Jasper said. “This consolidation will help me push them further into public spaces and promote change in the community.”

As a mentor at the summit, Mount Clear College year 12 student Stella McLeod said she wanted to help cultivate an environment where younger students could contribute to their community.

“I’m trying to give them a space where they feel heard and seen because that’s really important,” she said.

Stella said she understood the benefits of such programs after attending a leadership camp in Sydney in recent years.

“It’s really taken me out of my shell,” she said. “Gaining those skills and carrying them on to youth in my community is very important to me.”

Community Bank Buninyong supported the summit, with City of Ballarat providing the venue. Youth Leadership Academy Australia ran the day’s events.

YLAA founder Wil Massara said the program was designed to support young people gain the confidence for themselves and to create change.

He said it was important young people found the capacity to present their personalities to others.

“I think that what we hope that the young people leave today with is this awareness of leading through authenticity and who they are is much more powerful and also takes a lot of courage to be able to do that and there’s uncertainty when you do that,” he said.

“But the more that we step into that uncertainty the more confidence that we get, the more ability we have to be able to lead and influence the community.”

Mr Massara was impressed at how well students collaborated with peers from other schools during the activities.