Congratulations to the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge group led by Peta Bull who completed their 10 day trek – a great achievement!
A special welcome home shoutout from Penrith RSL and the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch, who sent two of the participants – Shayla and Xandah. A big congratulations on completing the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge.
Xandah, who is from Glenmore Park spoke to Nepean News about the challenges faced.
“The challenges I faced were mental and physical,’’ Xandah said.
“We opted in for carrying our own supplies which added approximately 13 kilos.
“Mentally it was getting used to not having things readily available as they are usually. For instance, you can’t just get water when you want it. There’s no running tap.’’
Wrapping his mind around having to wait for some things and also go without a lot of things but soldiering on anyway was a challenge that Xandah feels proud to have accomplished.
The former Glenmore Park High School student plans to now focus on his goal of starting a career in law enforcement.
Penrith RSL and the City of Penrith RSL sub-Branch choose two participants each year, so watch out for the Kokoda Challenge call out!
About Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge
The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge is a peer group leadership program established by the RSL & Services Clubs Association in 2004. The program was developed by Charlie Lynn of Adventure Kokoda.
The objectives of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge are to: • Create an awareness of the campaigns in Papua New Guinea during WW11. • Foster an understanding of the environment, the languages, and the cultures of our nearest neighbour, Papua New Guinea. • Encourage a commitment to community service. • Develop adventure-based skills. • Enhance the personal development of participants. • Provide an opportunity to walk the Kokoda Trail to experience the conditions under which our Diggers fought and died for our freedom. • Prepare participants for a future leadership role within our Australian community.
Being selected for the trek is a privileged opportunity to develop personal leadership skills based on the values our Kokoda veterans held dearly.
These include personal discipline, mutual respect, trust, mateship, courage and self-sacrifice. Successful candidates should be prepared to act as a community volunteer in some way after they return.
Association CEO, Garrie Gibson, said the leadership program provides a major contribution to the community by: • Encouraging these young leaders to help motivate their peers to take a positive role in their community and, among other things, reduce youth crime rates; • Creating a source of young leaders coming back into their ranks; and, • Encouraging participants to work with local community leaders on a range of projects. He said that for clubs the program had the potential to build stronger ties with the community and local business while increasing their relevance with young people who will be their future members and become the ‘custodians’ of the Anzac and Kokoda traditions.
The leadership program aims to create a greater awareness of the sacrifices of the diggers on the Kokoda campaign among our young people to ensure the traditions live on.
At the same time it instils in participants a commitment to community service, enhance their personal development by providing an opportunity for them to experience the same conditions under which our diggers fought and hopefully transform them for future leadership roles back in the community.
