By Danielle Kutchel
Five lucky students from across the region are abuzz with excitement as they prepare to embark on this year’s Magic Moments Youth Leadership Summit, held in Sydney in July.
At a pre-departure get-together at Settlers Run on Friday 21 June, the students had the opportunity to meet with previous attendees and hear first-hand how the summit changes lives.
According to Cory Andrews, director of Magic Moments, the program has been tweaked to ensure students are learning key leadership skills to stand them in good stead as they head into an unknown future.
“We started in 2009 with a two-and-a-half day program which was just about financial literacy and then after that we recognised that these guys need more personal development, so we turned it into a five day program.
“They have to be flexible, because they’re going to be doing jobs that haven’t even been imagined yet. They need skills for resilience, because they’re going to have challenges. They need to understand there’s not just one path to success, so we help them to see through examples of other young people who have done it,” she says.
Kobe Moran will be returning to the Sydney summit this year as a mentor and is keen to share her new-found knowledge with younger peers.
“I have decided to come back because Magic Moments has given so much to me so giving back to them is my way of thanking them, and being grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been blessed with since the camp.
“Coming home from the camp I was an entirely different person. My outlook on life, who I am becoming and growing to be today is still totally different.”
Meanwhile, this year’s recruits can’t wait to get on that plane.
“I wanted to gain more leadership skills and confidence in my work and my community so I can join in and try to help,” says 2019 participant Phoebe Brooks.
The program has certainly yielded strong results in the community, with past participants going on to take a more active role in their schools and local communities.
Olivia Ballard, who took part in the summit last year, is starting up a program at her school for year seven and eight girls to focus on female empowerment.
Funding for the summit is provided by Bendigo Bank, and within this region the bank draws participants from high schools within the areas covered by five Bendigo Bank branches: Narre Warren, Pearcedale, Tooradin, Kooweerup and Lang Lang.
Laura McBride, Executive Officer at Our Community Company which is the franchisor of the five branches, says the program is building the young leaders of tomorrow.
“We want them to go back to their community and do something, do a project, go and find the connections and find the confidence, and the camp will provide them with that confidence. It’s a bigger picture thing. They’re equipped with the knowledge of how to go and get something started.”
