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Following the 2019-20 summer fires Coles generously donated money to go towards providing an opportunity to enhance the leadership skills of young CFA volunteers.
After a rigorous application process, four young CFA volunteers in North East Region affected by the 2019-20 summers fires were awarded the opportunity and challenge of a lifetime to participate in the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme.
The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme is one of Australia’s premier leadership programs. The scheme provides young Australians with a unique experience onboard STS Young Endeavour that helps build confidence, develop self-awareness and resilience, and instil a sense of community and connection.
During the 11-day voyage, the participants learned to sail and crewed the ship 24 hours a day in all types of conditions across the Tasman Sea from Sydney to Melbourne.
The purpose of the voyage is to build skills and attributes to develop each participant into a better team player, a more effective communicator and a leader.
At the end of the voyage Stephanie Calderwood was recognised for her contribution and commitment to the pursuit of excellence during the voyage and received the Young Endeavour Voyage Award.
Michelle Critchey, a member of the Volunteer Sustainability Team in North East Region, said leadership and communication skills in CFA are more important than ever, and leaders need to be equipped with the skills to lead through a crisis and times of stress.
“Supporting leadership development gives back to the volunteers themselves, the brigades and the communities in which they live,” Michelle said.
Michelle spoke with each of the participants to hear what they thought of the Young Endeavour voyage experience and the skills they learned. Information about their experiences is outlined below.
Phoebe Church aged 19 from Bonegilla Fire Brigade.
Brigade role: Firefighter
Tell me a bit about yourself
I am 19 years old and from a little town called Bonegilla where I grew up. I also lived in Newman Western Australia for 8 years. I love camping, four-wheel driving, helping others and taking on new opportunities to improve my leadership, teamwork and general life skills. CFA is in our blood, my pop is captain, my dad is 1st lieutenant, and my brother is 3rd so it runs in the family to be very involved in CFA.
What was the most challenging time on the ship?
The most challenging time on the ship was when the sea sickness kicked in and we then got stuck in a storm for four days. We had to anchor in a beautiful cove for some shelter, but we couldn’t leave the boat to explore the beautiful beach due to the high winds creating big waves and the hail that was pelting down every five minutes. Those four days definitely challenged me physically and mentally.
What was the most exciting time on the ship?
The most exciting time would have to be making new friends and making friendship I hope will last a lifetime. As weird as it sounds it was also fun spewing over the edge with my teammates and all laughing about it. I had so much fun pushing myself and joking around with everyone.
What did you learn during the voyage?
I learned that things can change very quickly and you need to be able to adapt. You may not like everyone but when there is a storm and 24 of you are stuck under a ship you learn to get along with everyone. This has had a positive impact on my life and like CFA you need to be able to get along with people and be able to adapt very quickly and be able to adapt again five minutes later. I learnt that that’s just life and all you can do is make the best of it.
Would you recommend this experience to others?
I would 100 per cent recommend this to others although I would say you definitely need to be physically and mentally strong. It was certainly the trip of a lifetime and one I won’t forget or stop telling people about anytime soon.
Larissa Ballard aged 23 from Mooroopna Fire Brigade.
Brigade roles: Communications officer, Community engagement officer, D22 Rehab secretary
Tell me a bit about yourself
I have been involved with CFA since I was 11 years old, starting out as a junior and progressing on into seniors. I have lived in Mooroopna my whole life and work at Woolworths.
What was the most challenging time on the ship?
The thing I found the most challenging on the ship was the self-reflection activity. The experience was mentally challenging.
What was the most exciting time on the ship?
The activity I most enjoyed doing was when we let go of our shy awkwardness and truly became one team we were comfortable in. The challenge involved setting the storm sail during sunrise, which was spectacular and even though we were all tired we came together to achieve the task.
What did you learn during the voyage?
I have learnt so much about myself which has helped me open my eyes up to what I need to figure out within myself to help me grow such as:
- getting out of your comfort zone is the only way you are going to be able to grow and learn new skills or improve existing skills
- time management is key
- persistence and motivation is needed to be able to achieve outcomes without giving up
- I need to stop worrying about what people think and work on my self-confidence so I can grow and come out of my shell more in group environments
- positive encouragement helps people to feel more comfortable within the environment and helps them to feel like they can give it their all without judgement
- eleven days away from reality and without social media is actually rather refreshing and allows time to reset
- adapt to certain situations because not everything will go to plan.
Would you recommend this experience to others
100 per cent I would! Definitely an opportunity of a lifetime.
Heath French aged 17 from Wangaratta Fire Brigade.
Brigade roles: Firefighter
Tell me a bit about yourself
I have just finished year 11 at school and now taking a different pathway of learning, as I am going into a full-time four-year apprenticeship in fabrication (welding). I have enjoyed welding and metalwork since my dad introduced me to it.
My time with CFA has seen me travel all over the state, with the Urban and Rural Junior competitions, going to one of the two Cadets weekends for 16 and 17-year-olds in Ballan and, most recently, I was given the chance to go on an adventure of a lifetime on the STS Young Endeavour.
It was an 11-day trip I will never forget throughout my life. I have met so many new people from around the country, who I am glad to now call my friends.
What was the most challenging time on the ship?
While on the ship, the most challenging time was the first time I climbed the mainmast. We didn't have staff going up with us, but we were tasked with the difficult job to tie the sail to the mast we were on. It took about 25 minutes (though felt longer) to tie the gaskets (rope) around the sail and back onto the mast while moving and in some bad weather.
What was the most exciting time on the ship?
My favourite time on board was when we were in Jervis bay. We had the 12am to 4am watch and we climbed the foremast at night with the deck lights on, then the deck lights were turned off by the staff and we were sitting 15 metres above ground with only moonlight around us. It was so much fun to sit there in the dark. We couldn't even see the deck.
What did you learn during the voyage?
While on board, I learned how to be more of a team player, how to handle ropes better and being able to work with strangers from different areas of life. This will help me throughout my life and has made me more knowledgeable about different things that can help me around the brigade.
Would you recommend this experience to others?
I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone who is up for pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to give this a go and put yourself in areas you don't think you are ready for yet. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do half of the stuff I did on my voyage. But I put myself out there and loved every second of it.
Stephanie Calderwood aged 20 from Kilmore Fire Brigade.
Brigade roles: Firefighter
Tell me a bit about yourself
I have been part of CFA since I was 12 and joined Kilmore Fire Brigade in 2019. I completed Minimum Skills in 2020. I completed high school and am now at university at Latrobe Bendigo doing a Bachelor of Exercise Science and working as a swim teacher. I have been doing sport all my life except for last year and this year I started swimming again. I have held leadership positions throughout my school and sporting life, including school captain. I have also volunteered my time outside of CFA including in sporting clubs, but also spent two weeks at a sister school in Cambodia teaching kids there. This included volunteering for the whole year before going to fundraise for the trip. I am outgoing and willing to learn all the time.
What was the most challenging time on the ship?
Command Day. That is when the Youthies (the 24 youth onboard) take all the leadership roles and responsibilities off the Staffies (the 14 staff onboard). I was elected with one other to be navigator for 24 hours. It was the first time in my life when I really had everyone rely on me and my decisions and if I made the wrong decision it would go badly. So it really took me out of my comfort zone, and I had to work hard to overcome the initial stress and panic of the big role. There were times during that 24 hours when I really had to put my thinking cap on and problem solve.
In addition, the first time climbing to the top of the ship and having to overcome the fear that my body can’t do it (even though it definitely could because on the last day I did it again and I did it with ease).
What was the most exciting time on the ship?
Every time I got to work with my amazing team/crew named White Watch. That was eight of the Youthies and one watch leader. We all worked very well together in team challenges and when having an in-depth discussion about ourselves and willing to share everything with each other. The bond that we created made anything we did together exciting.
What did you learn during the voyage?
What I learned was no matter who you are or what role you have in the team, communication makes a great team work well. For example, communicating what you are doing or what is happening or why it’s happening. And if teammates don’t understand a decision, then go ask why. This can ensure the team can work together with the upmost capabilities of the team. At the end you know job will either get done or done to the best of the team’s abilities. There is no room for doubt or misunderstanding so the goals/aims need to be clear.
Would you recommend this experience to others?
Absolutely. To be honest before going I thought it would just be another leadership camp type thing. However, its nothing like that. You get to challenge yourself and work on your leadership and followship naturally. I had so much fun that I just smile about how much fun I had. Was I drained? Was I not happy all the time? Yes and Yes, but that is part of the experience and you push through and you see the beauty and the happiness in the experience.
| Submitted by |
Georgina Hill |