The Maroondah Young Leaders Program is a week-long course held at EV’s Youth Centre in Croydon and is designed for selected Year 10 students from schools within the municipality.

The program aims to develop leadership skills, focusing on team-building, public speaking and improving confidence.

I had the opportunity to speak to the participants yesterday about the role of local council, with an emphasis on the importance of working in the community and making a difference.

As part of the program the participants are required to organise a presentation evening to discuss the skills they had learned. The presentations demonstrated the public speaking skills they developed, as well as roleplaying various activities that they undertook as part of the course.

This year, the students will also be invited to participate in a further program, which aims to utilise the skills they have learned to work towards making a difference in the community.

The students will be invited to choose a project and will work towards achieving goals that they identify. This phase of the Young Leaders Program will begin next Thursday, ensuring that the skills they learn will be quickly put into practice.

For further information on the program run by EV’s Youth Centre please visit www.evsyouthcentre.com.