Members of the Good Friday Appeal Youth Council
In 2023, the Good Friday Appeal (GFA) took a significant step by establishing a youth council to actively participate in the planning process and to better engage with young individuals, shaping the future of the Appeal.
The GFA team collaborated with CFA to nominate a CFA representative aged between 16 and 26 years old to contribute to the council.
Kayla Manning, a dedicated youth volunteer from CFA District 15 and a member of Daylesford Fire Brigade, expressed interest and was selected for her exceptional commitment to youth initiatives in CFA and her local community.
Among the 10 members of the youth council, Kayla stands as the sole representative from regional Victoria.
“I’m excited about the opportunity and the potential to provide a youth perspective and encourage greater youth involvement in the Appeal's activities,” Kayla said.
She also noted the benefit to CFA, seeing it as an opportunity to bring back valuable insights to CFA and explore ways of how brigades can support the Appeal all year round.
The council has already convened several times, contributing ideas such as the design of new fundraising pins to be sold during the 2024 Kids Day Out event at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Good Friday.
Another exciting achievement was the suggestion to invite Bounce, a youth-centric trampoline centre, to support the Appeal. Remarkably, the proposal was discussed at a meeting on a Tuesday and confirmed by Bounce by the Friday, resulting in Bounce pledging to donate all proceeds from ticket sales on Good Friday to the Appeal.
“It was amazing to see such a quick transformation of ideas into tangible fundraising opportunities geared towards youth,” Kayla said. “It was very rewarding”.
This year Kayla and other members of the youth council will be at the Good Friday Appeal Kids Day Out event, selling the Good Friday Appeal pins and volunteering to count donations.
“I am really excited, I have always collected with my brigade but this year I will be able to help out in a different way,” Kayla said.
Following the 2024 Good Friday Appeal, the youth council will meet again to review the Appeal and look at how we can have a positive impact on future Appeals.
“I can’t wait to see what all our CFA members get up to on Good Friday.”
| Submitted by |
Georgina Hill |