Young people are our future leaders – that’s why YWCA is so committed to the Youth Frontiers program! A mentoring program for young people aged 12-16, Youth Frontiers is a NSW Government funded program that promotes leadership and civic engagement in young people.
Running for six months, the program gives mentees the opportunity to build life skills and confidence by working collaboratively with their mentors to undertake a community project that makes a positive difference in their local community.
(courtesy of ABC)
Recently two Youth Frontiers mentees, Amy and Kassie, decided to organise a fashion show at their school, in collaboration with a local disability service provider, as their community project. The show was so successful that it featured in the local paper – the Bega District News!
They shared their experience with us in a Q&A!
How did you come up with the idea to host a fashion show?
Amy: I thought of the idea around 12 months ago. I didn’t like how people with disabilities were being left out of fashion shows and I liked the idea of including everyone no matter what they looked like.
Jodie came to one of our assemblies and talked about an opportunity for my idea to become a reality. I jumped at the chance to meet Jodie and fully understand the whole program. After the meeting I decided that the idea was too much to handle by myself and I needed some help, I asked Kassandra if she would like to join me in creating the Fashion Show. I am glad that she agreed because I would not have been able to do this all by myself!
What was the most difficult part of organising your community project?
The most difficult part of organising the fashion show was the final stage of the process, bringing all the models and clothes together took a lot of teamwork. Thanks to the Disability Trust, we were able to finish it with minimal stress and make it a great afternoon!
What was the highlight of your community project?
The highlight of the event for us was seeing the models on the runway strutting their stuff and enjoying themselves, it really reminded us why we were doing it, the smiles from the models was also really rewarding.
We would like to thank everyone that participated and contributed to the show, we are so thankful for this opportunity and will never forget it!
How would you describe your experience with the Youth Frontiers program?
Our experience with the Youth Frontiers program and our mentor were more than we could have hoped for.
Jodie, the Youth Frontiers Program Coordinator, supplied a stable starting point for the both of us where we built confidence talking on the phone and meeting new people. Our mentor, Christine has helped us through the difficult areas of the project until the very end. She helped us with the planning stage and reaching out for services and local organisations. In conclusion it was a fun and educational opportunity that we would love to do it again!
Thanks Amy and Kassie for sharing their project with us. The Spring Fashion Show they organised was so successful that it’s hoped it may now become an annual event – watch this space!
Do you think you could be a Youth Frontiers mentor?
Youth Frontiers is currently recruiting volunteer mentors – you could help young people like Amy and Kassie plan and deliver an exciting project like the Spring Fashion Show! All we need from our mentors is time, and a commitment to helping young people reach their potential.
