28.05.2010: Pre-Trek Leadership Training Camp – Anglesea, Victoria May 2010
Fourteen Indigenous young people and 7 mentors from all corners of Australia, gathered together for the first time from 29 April to 3 May in Anglesea, to commence their journey as members of the Jobs Australia, Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP).
The 4 day Leadership Training camp was the first phase of the program that will see the group trek the Kokoda Trail from 1 – 10 August this year and meet again in September to debrief and celebrate their achievements. Over the course of the 4 days participants (young people and mentors) completed a range of course room and outdoor activities aimed at developing a greater understanding of leadership, their own leadership skills and qualities and their aspirations as leaders both now and in the future.
Key highlights of the 4 days included a moving and educational presentation on the experiences of‘diggers’, George Cops and Don Daniels from the 39th Battalion, who fought at Kokoda during World War II.The skills and qualities that these men displayed in war highlighted the leadership qualities that members of the group require to complete the trek and lead in their communities both now and in the future: courage, determination, endurance and resilience.
Wayne Wetherell from Kokoda Spirit, the expedition company leading the 96km trek, delivered a session on what to expect on the trek and how to prepare. In addition to this Wayne and Dion Taylor, an expedition leader with Kokoda Spirit, took the group through their ‘physical’ paces, taking the group on a 5km walk from Bells Beach to Point Addis and a grueling training session on Anglesea Beach early one morning. Both these sessions ‘drilled’ home the reality of the task at hand and the fact that preparation is the key to enjoying the journey and reaching the destination.
A terrific development for the project has been the support from Scott Baskett from Legitimite Films. Scott has joined the team to document the journey and was on hand to capture the activities of the group over the 4 days. He has some fabulous footage that represents the experiences of the group thus far. The documentary will tell the story of the journey of the group and individuals and be used as a medium for promoting and sharing the benefits and outcomes of the program in future years.
On the eve of the conclusion of the 4 days participants commenced the mural of a large picture that will tell the story of the group and its members over the course of this 10 month long program. This painting will be unveiled at the Post Trek Celebration event being held in Canberra on 19 September.