TOMORROW’S LEADERS TODAY
If you think today’s youth simply ‘lie on the lounge and play on their phone’ then you haven’t met Toowoomba Region’s youth leaders.
The 25–strong group is an unstoppable force of enthusiasm and drive; fiercely committed to improving their community.
Today, we shine the spotlight on four of the Youth Leader volunteers:
1:: Breanna Hickling — 21 : Continually helping people through the Youth Leader program had such an impact, Breanna changed her university degree to incorporate a HR focus.
“Having co–ordinated a lot of projects over my time, you soon realise it’s not about YOUR projects but about bringing the community’s youth on board and having them share in the great events that are being staged.” 2:: Emelia Archibald — 17 : “We have some incredible services like D.I.S.C.O. and Gateway house and
the like; it’s very rewarding to get involved with them and not just sit on the sidelines.”
3:: Mahsa Nabizada — 15 : Originally from Afghanistan, Masha understands all too well the difficulties of coming to a new country. The language barriers, the anxiety of not knowing anyone at school or in your neighbourhood only adds to the feelings of isolation. Masha created the ‘Backpack Program’ to help newly arrived parents understand school supply and booklist requirements.
4:: Jacob Oyat — 22 : While the ABCS will always be vitally important in our schools, Jacob identified a strong need to teach children “life skills” to assist facing the world on their own.
“Cooking, changing a tyre and managing finances are just some of the areas we can focus on to give young people a sound foundation to learn the skills of becoming independent,” he said. Toowoomba Region Environment and Community Committee chair councillor Geoff Mcdonald said the Youth Leaders program was invaluable when trying to engage with young members of our community.
“In our region alone, we have 36,000 people aged 14 to 24 years and the program is an opportunity to have them involved in planning for the future and driving the initiatives that will see our region progress,” Cr Mcdonald said. “Breanna, Emelia, Mahsa and Jacob aren’t the leaders of the future, they’re the leaders of the present and they’re an invaluable resource helping to steer Council in a very positive direction.”