Three months into the 2023 Youth Leadership Series and the group of ten participants are well and truly embracing their potential and forging a deeper understanding of how to navigate the complex world of team building and organisational management.
Targeted at new and emerging youth leaders in the 16–24-year age group, the series was designed in partnership with the East Gippsland Community Foundation to provide young people in the region with the opportunity to explore their leadership potential.
Program facilitator Kerryn Vaughan is pleased with how they are progressing with their projects and forming their own individual leadership identities.
“Everybody started off by potentially imagining themselves as an emerging leader and as the course has progressed everybody is starting to really take hold of what their key qualities would be as a leader,” Kerryn said.
“The best thing for me is to see the shift in their belief in themselves and having that realisation that those qualities were already there anyway and it’s just bringing them to the surface and putting them on the table and recognising them. Better than that is that they then take those qualities out in to their communities and start to empower and lift other people and create a better world.”
Comprised of three face-to-face sessions in Bairnsdale, ten online workshops and a graduation ceremony in November, the series also provides a pre-pathway platform for participants to a Diploma of Leadership and Management.
Program participant and future leader Caitlin Sonka has been soaking up this confidence-building opportunity with gusto, enjoying the shared experience with her fellow potential leaders.
“I do hope to discover the scope of my leadership potential and continue to find ways to positively impact others around me within my team and my community,” Caitlin said.
“Kerryn Vaughan and Norman Paskin are so knowledgeable and have taught us so much already. The following quote ‘A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way – John C. Maxwell’ sums them both up perfectly.”
Working face-to-face with clients on a daily basis, Caitlin revels in being able to make a difference in the lives of those who need a little leg up on their study journey. While she’s not 100% sure of her own pathway just yet, she hopes to continue working in the community and helping others achieve their goals.
“To see students going from enrolling to graduating and then getting their dream job is so rewarding,” Caitlin said.
“I have met so many amazing people since where I work and love working together as one big team.”
While Caitlin’s busy working on her special project as part of the program, she can’t give away too much just yet.
“What I can say is that I have certainly been inspired by one of our VCE students and aim to make a difference in our community for all of those with a hearing impairment,” Caitlin said.
“I hope to make something we all take for granted much easier and accessible for them to enjoy! I will share more details when I can.”