Due to technology, our rural towns are changing.
The youth of today are growing up in a world where it is possible to build a global business from their bedroom with nothing more than a computer.
Our kids have the whole world at their feet and we need to excite and engage them in that world and show them the potential that exists in their regional home towns. Resiliency skills help young people to effectively deal with adversity and change and are vital to their wellbeing.
At Country to Canberra (C2C) one of our aims is to develop resilience as we give young rural women who might otherwise be isolated due to distance, time and funding, a voice. The girls in our blogging team (aged 13 -18) write a 300–600 word blog post each month about the issues and concerns of local teens, things that are happening in their communities, education and political affairs and anything in between.
The students’ work is moderated and edited, with the purpose of guiding and supporting the girls via a blogging mentor. All of the girls’ articles are shared on our website and on social media platforms.
At C2C we empower teenage girls to pursue leadership opportunities at school and in their communities, as well as connect the teenage team members, helping them widen their professional and social networks Australia wide.
All of this is done via the internet from remote locations all over Australia.
Mareeba team member Madalyn Wallace is currently studying a dual degree in food science and journalism at the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
“I love writing and I was finding it hard to gain some experience doing it,” Madalyn said.
“I was also feeling a little lonely after moving 1800 km from home to the city and really feeling out of place, so joining the C2C blogging team gave me a chance to write about my experiences and passion for my rural hometown, while getting to know a whole group of like-minded girls online.
“It has been awesome not to mention the great mentoring over the phone I have had from Hannah Wandel the C2C founder.
“I get to make these amazing connections and obtain some terrific writing experience.”
Blogging takes advantage of modern technology and enables conversation between regional and metropolitan communities, as well as showcases the important role that rural areas play in our nation.
At Country to Canberra this is all being undertaken by country teenage girls - an exciting, modern example of how we can build youth resilience in regional Australia.