Sharing what works to help solve Australia’s social problems
Youth Leadership Development Program
The Problem
• To develop a Leadership Program that equips participants with the capacity to engage in the development process, and in doing so alter the lives of over 100 Vietneames children in living in poverty;
• To expand the Global Educational Partnership between Fairhills High School and World Vision to other Victorian schools;
• To facilitate an Overseas Immersion Program in Northern Vietnam, as well as a contextual exploration of Global Citizenship, Poverty, Human Rights, Environment and Culture & History;
• To provide a forum for the interaction between participants as well as business mentors, partners, and supporters;
• To foster the diffusion of knowledge amongst youth and the wider community about the achievements of members;
• To foster the professional skills of the participants, and in doing so develop Victoria’s future business and community leaders;
The Solution
The Youth Leadership Development Program is a collaboration between World Vision and the pilot school - Fairhills High School. The program seeks to empower and equip young people from low-socio economic areas with the capacity to catalyse social change. The pilot program will see ten Year 11 students look past their own financial circumstances, to engage the local school and wider community in social giving initiatives. The participants will work closely with professional business mentors, as they complete a tailored curriculum and begin to implement social projects within the community. The journey will culminate in an expedition to remote, rural Vietnam in November 2012, where the students will volunteer for a fortnight in poverty relief projects.
YLDP embodies the vision that young people can make a tangible and constructive contribution to the development process. It empowers youth to acknowlege their own ability to make positive social change and “be the change" (Gandhi).