Five Moruya High School year eight students are investing in their own future and that of their community by involving themselves in the Youth Frontiers mentoring program.
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Renee Poland, Monique Lush, Elka Pike, Denisse Ilgan-Keady and Eleanor Foster are working on projects each representing a chosen theme, under the guidance of volunteer mentors chosen by South Coast Workplace Learning.
Renee is organising a come-and-try soccer day under the guidance of Eurobodalla Shire Council community development worker Susie Gillies.
Renee is well qualified to organise such an event, as she has played since the under 6s and has represented NSW Country.
“I have a passion for soccer and I want to ensure that soccer in this area has a sustainable future,” she said.
Monique Lush, who has also played soccer for NSW Country, is making a short film with the aim to get people into the sport.
“The aim is to get people to have a go, and if they don’t succeed in becoming a good soccer player, they can still get something out of it,” she said.
She is being mentored by Eurobodalla Shire Council senior learning and development officer Kerry Evans.
Elka Pike is making a wire sculpture depicting an Australian soldier, reflecting her ancestry as the great grand daughter of Reginald John Greig, a gunner
in the Australian 7th Field Artillery Brigade in World War I.
“I’ve done most of the body, apart for the arms and head,” she said.
“I’m making the hat and putting boots on it.”
She has taught herself to crochet, to be able to dress the statue, and mentoring her has been Katrina Atkin, a registered nurse with 30 years experience who is currently undertaking a Masters degree in business.
Denisse Ilagan-Keady has chosen community harmony as her theme and placed the focus on disabled people working the in the community.
“I’m preparing a report on what disabled people are doing in the Eurobodalla and I have interviewed people at Max Employment, Workability and Yumaro.”
Mentoring her is Moruya education professional Jenny Bell.
Eleanor Foster has chosen empowering young women as her theme, and is putting together a flip chart.
“It is about a woman’s right to an education, also elaborating on different key points such as domestic violence and sex trafficking, and a young girl’s right to go to school,” she said.
Eleanor’s mentor is SDN Children’s Services’ Adele Byers.
The girls are enjoying the program so far.
“It’s a good experience,” Monique said.
“It has opened up a lot more information for us,” Eleanor said.
The projects are due in early October.
