A leadership program has taught young people in the Yarra Ranges valuable skills for their futures, thanks to a partnership between Council and DELWP.
Leading for the Future was a project run by Council's Bushlands, Sustainability and Youth Teams to provide young people in Yarra Ranges with leadership skills, mentoring and ideas for community projects.
Council's Environmental Volunteer Support Officer, Jen Ellison, said the project started after young people got involved in Council's Liveable Climate Plan engagement in 2020.
"We ran a webinar about jobs in the environment industry for young people, with experience and advice of how people got into their careers," Ms Ellison said.
"We got great feedback from people watching and thought, 'There's something in this – helping young people get to employment and helping the environment' and young people have so much potential and passion that can sometimes get overlooked. That's where the idea for the leadership program came from.
Council had received funding from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) under its Caring for the Local Environment program and used a small portion of the funding to create Leading for the Future.
Ms Ellison said that 10 participants met every Thursday afternoon for two hours over eight weeks, alternating between presentations and learning and then sessions where the participants would practice what they had learned the previous week.
Leading for the Future participants on the final day of the program.
"We also contacted leaders in Council who had taken part in leadership programs in the past and asked them if they would be interested in mentoring our young people in one-hour, one-off sessions," she said.
"We thought it was a lovely way of our participants continuing their journey, having a voice outside of the group, and we've received great feedback.
"A lot of the participants have got community projects they're interested in, which we hope they can make a reality using the skills they've learned and advice from their mentors."
Participant, Candice Farrugia-Roberts, said the program started conversations with her peers about how to turn their ideas into action.
"The Leading for the Future program connected me to people who are just as excited about ideas and action as I am, and showed me that my story matters," she said.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Fiona McAllister, said he program was an example of how Council can help young people in the community.
"Local young people will be the ones who take up the mantle in coming years, leading our community organisations and sporting clubs; starting businesses in the area, sharing their art, volunteering and becoming community leaders. They will shape the future of the Yarra Ranges and leave their own mark on the areas they currently call home.
"I'm proud that we've been able to provide hands-on training for these young people, to help hone in their skills and teach them about leadership - and I can't wait to see what they achieve in coming years."
