ABC launches 2018 Heywire Trailblazers program
9/11/2017
There was a nation-wide call-out for individuals who are driven by a passion for strengthening their communities. In response, sixteen individuals have been announced as Heywire’s 2018 young regional trailblazers.
There was a nation-wide call-out for individuals who are driven by a passion for strengthening their communities. In response, sixteen individuals have been announced as Heywire’s 2018 young regional trailblazers.These individuals represent some of the brightest emerging leaders in regional Australia; working in areas such as Indigenous culture, mental health, agriculture and business.
The Trailblazers Lab in Canberra is an event coming February 2018 which will have an intensive five-day experience that will empower young regional leaders to give an account of their stories and build professional network and capacity. The chosen Trailblazers will have their story told on the ABC.
Fiona Reynolds, director of ABC Regional, mentioned that the Trailblazers build on the ABC’s commitment to champion young people in regional Australia.
She emphasized that they are very proud to share the stories of the brilliant young leaders who are working diligently to create a better future for their communities and their peers.
Fiona Nash; Federal Minister for Regional Development, said that the brilliant young leaders represent a bright future for regional Australia.
She said that the Trailblazers is about so many of the great things about Australia: the regions, great young people and real leadership.
Alana Black, a trailblazer from Rydal in NSW, is thrilled to be able to connect with other young changemakers. She said that it's such a fantastic opportunity to be able to learn from other regional people and listen to what they are doing in their respective districts.
In return, she is optimistic of bringing the knowledge she gathered from the other young changemakers back to Rydal so she can help her community. She is working to bring significant change to succession planning in farming families.
She emphasised the importance of empowering farmers with the right tools to address the pressing issues around succession planning – which has a flow-on effect to areas which include mental health – thus a step forward to creating a more resilient regional community.
Pritika Desai founded the Shoutout! in the Northern Territory due to her personal experience regarding the lack of targeted mental health services in the regional areas.
She explained further that she had personally experienced a mental illness and dealt with her struggles around the stigma and accessibility to services to address her mental health issues.
She braved a lot to go public about what is happening in her life; the feedback gave her the insight that there were a lot of other young people who are going through the same challenges as her.
Shoutout! then produced a series of videos showcasing similar stories from the region, which will be shown on ABC platforms in early 2018.
By spreading awareness concerning the mental illness, it will educate people and hopefully, encourage those in the position to improve the mental health services in the regional areas.
The Full list of 2018 Trailblazers includes:
2018 Trailblazers
Aimee Snowden: Little Brick Farmers Tocumwal, NSW
Little Brick Farmers highlights the diverse opportunities in agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Aimee’s blog, Little Brick Pastoral, uses Lego ‘farmers’ to share fun stories about life on the farm.
http://www.littlebrickpastoral.com
Alana Black: Fledgling Farmers Rydal, NSW
Fledgling Farmers aims to start positive conversations about succession in family farming. Alana hopes to inspire young people to start conversations and be more open about this difficult topic.
Chantelle Van Der Brugge and Jye Walker: Great Southern Aboriginal Health ServiceAlbany, WA
Chantelle and Jye provide young people with better information about sexual health, to build resilience and to increase school participation rates throughout the Great Southern region of WA.
Lucy and Kelli Williams: Teenage Trifecta Penola, SA
Lucy and Kelli Williams lost their Dad to suicide. Passionate about reducing stigma around mental illness, they run Teenage Trifecta – an event for young people and parents.
Prikita Desai and Dawyte Clancy: ShoutOut! Lyons, NT
ShoutOut! aims to destigmatize mental health and advocate for mental health services, by presenting at events, using social media, mentoring young people and liaising with government.
Prudence melon, Habiba Charles Gwonya and Apat Arok: E-Raced Toowoomba, Qld
E-raced tackles racism through storytelling. The school-based program sees refugees sharing stories with high school students to challenge perceptions of migrants.
Rona Glynn-McDonald: Common Ground Alice Springs, NT
As a proud Kaytetye woman, Rona created Common Ground, a website to help address gaps in knowledge about Indigenous and Torres Straight Island culture and language.
Talitha Devadass: Entrepreneurship Facilitators Launceston, Tas
Talitha helps unemployed people to realise business ideas. This program hopes to increase awareness of self-employment as a career pathway.
William Egan and Tessa Wynne: Type Fun Diabetes Launceston, Tas
William Egan is passionate about better support services, education and communities for young people with Type 1 diabetes. He founded Type Fun with partner Tessa Wynne.
William Sharples: Eden Game Development Centre Merimbula, NSW
The Eden Game Development Centre was designed for regional students, especially those at risk, to engage with technology and learn practical coding skills by creating apps and games.
