2021 Youth Leadership Summit

2021 Youth Leadership Summit

3 June 2021

Earlier this month the MADALAH Emerging Leaders set off on their two-night camp to Trinity College’s Camp Kelly in Dwellingup.

The purpose of this program is to spend time with our emerging leaders, capacity building whilst engaging in cultural activities and connecting to country.

34 emerging leaders accompanied by 12 mentors stopped in to Roelands Village where Les Wallam gave us a Welcome and tour of Roelands which was once used as a mission to remove Indigenous children from their homes. Les’s stories of strength and resilience inspired us all and set the tone for the weekend.

On arrival to Camp Kelly we were Welcomed by elder Trevor Stack who provided a smoking ceremony and connected us to each other and to the country we were on. Students then participated in the first of our activities which was a Mock UN debate where we discovered exactly why these students are part of our emerging leaders’ group – strong, caring and well thought out discussions were all part of this fantastic experience! To end the night, we finished with a fun quiz and pizza! The next morning, we were taken on a cultural tour with Aunty Kerry Stack, walking through the beautiful Dwellingup bush, looking at bush medicines, foods and natural resources used by our old people to make tools! On return students made tools with resin, wood and stones.

Students then split into their teams, Kaarda and Waakal to take part in the Indigenous Leadership Forum where we were lucky enough to have Larry Kickett, Carol Innes, Yulu McGrady and Nic Mersen join us. Students split into small groups and spent time yarning with our guests which provided them with the opportunity to discuss and share experiences. There were some very open conversations and the students were left inspired having heard from our strong Indigenous leaders about how they have, at times, faced adversity and how they overcame it to ensure their success today. Students then took part in a cooking activity facilitated by Goolamwiin and cooked a feed of kangaroo meat four ways and damper which they served to all our special guests.
On our last evening students began to get ready for the MADALAH Leadership Gala; a time to celebrate and be proud of their achievements and recognise all of the student’s amazing talent!

Students and mentors helped each other get ready, look sharpe and dance the night away! Special mention to our year 12 student Jackson who gave the younger students some wise words in a sensational speech and a student performance by Zack who stepped out of his comfort zone and performed for the group! Jorja and Emmet were crowned the Belle and Beau for showing consistent and outstanding leadership skills throughout the weekend.

We could not be prouder of the amazing young people in this group. The way students cared for each other, worked together and consistently demonstrated leadership skills whilst on camp was second to none. Our hearts are filled with pride and we cannot wait to watch each and every one of them grow and continue to achieve!

A special thank you to MPH Lawyers for sponsoring the event and giving this opportunity to our students, the memories made are priceless!

Acknowledgement of Country

MADALAH acknowledges and pays tribute to the Whadjuk Noongar, the Traditional Custodians of the Lands on which we work, and we pay our respects to their Elders – past, present and emerging. This acknowledgement extends to the First Peoples’ land across the state of Western Australia which is home to the many students that we support.

MADALAH recognises and values the continuity of cultural, educational and spiritual practices of First Peoples.

We wish to advise our First Peoples that this site may contain the names, images or audio-visual recordings of people who have passed.