The youth of our communities are our future and are an integral part of its success. That is why the Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council is stepping up as the space to create Tomorrow’s CEO’s Leadership Program.

This program will see 10 young people employed for three hours a week over 10 weeks and then cycle that again over the course of a year. 

On Friday 19 May five young women took the first step towards their future and began their employment at the Brewarrina LALC. 

Sahara Warraweena, Gypsy Walker, Jarcinta Bennett, Janayah Dennis and Kyah Moore sat with the CEO, John Reidy and were told what they will experience during the next 10 weeks.

They then filled out all employment forms and necessary documents to start their new job. Each girl will be working one day each week and learn from the staff the many skills they will carry into the future. 

“I’m very excited to be working/teaching these young women. I’ve always wanted to inspire and encourage the younger generation to aspire to be more than what they think they are capable of," said Charlotte Boney, Administration Officer at Brewarrina LALC.

"I myself am a great example of this having come into a job description I thought I wasn’t very capable of to now doing all finance for the Brewarrina LALC. I hope that this program helps these young women in the near future." 

The program will target school leavers to gain employment and experience to be able to enter the workforce.

The LALC will focus on teaching them basic administration and customer service skills that they will take into their future positions.

Those involved believe that in many small and remote communities, local youth are entering the workforce ill-equipped and without confidence, as they are not exposed to many of the opportunities that so many in larger cities are.  

“Money is often a deciding factor for developmental programs in remote communities," saysBrewarrina CEO John Reidy.

"With less funding than would be required to employ a single school leaver we have developed a program that could support all school leavers. Participants are given the opportunity to earn a little extra money and advance their future prospects.” 

Brewarrina LALC has received a $50,000 grant from the Department of Communities and Justice to commence a school leavers program that incorporates collective outcomes to supplement current opportunities. 

Instead of creating an opportunity that may create a full-time job, empowering one individual, this program uses equivalent funding to achieve a more holistic outcome.   

Brewarrina LALC women’s group leader states, “I think this is going to be a great program. Every parent has to deal with the battle of trying to get kids to go for jobs. Now we have the Land Council to help us give them skills and push them towards jobs or further education.”   

It appears that all eyes are on Brewarrina LALC at the moment with the CEO stating an intent to further develop the community organisation and not simply in the youth space. 

“It will be interesting to see the impact of using collective theory as a means to support a process that largely focuses on individualism," Mr Reidy says. 

"Whilst Land Councils currently fight for financial inclusion, our approach at Brewarrina LALC is to identify the value a community organisation can offer to the current financial and service delivery framework, then go about building capacity in that space – as community-based service delivery specialists." 

"Tomorrow’s CEO program will soon be supplemented by a paid youth committee and other youth development programs. This is just the beginning of movement to reposition our organisation from one that consults, to one that delivers.”