Community & Business
10 May, 2023
Beyond the Broncos program support Oakey High students.
In the second week of the holidays some Oakey High students attended a Broncos Leadership Camp in Brisbane.
The Oakey Champion put some questions to the Broncos.
What is the Beyond the Broncos program?
The Broncos Girls Academy program provides culturally based mentoring and support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from Years 7 to 12 and into young adulthood to help young leaders succeed.
The Broncos value the vital role that young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play in influencing the next generation.
The aim of the Girls Academy is to support girls across participating schools to improve their school attendance, academic achievement, Year 12 attainment and preparation for life after school to empower them to gain the best possible results from their education.
How did Oakey High come to be involved with BtB?
Oakey State High School joined the Girls' Academy program in 2019.
We currently have 42 students enrolled in the program in Oakey and have seen some great results so far.
Attendance has averaged above 96 per cent for Term 1, for the last three years in a row, which is great result.
What activities did the students participate in during their time with the Broncos?
The Broncos Arrow Leadership Camp is an important opportunity for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from across the Surat and Toowoomba region to come together and celebrate their culture and what they’ve achieved through the support of the BtB program.
The camp engages the girls in a range of activities that pushes them out of their comfort zone and helps them to build their confidence and belief that they can achieve what they set their mind to.
It’s also an opportunity for girls to meet new people from across the region and make friends and a support network, that can last beyond the length of the camp.
The students were joined by several guests throughout the camp including Broncos ambassadors Scott Prince, Ali Brigginshaw and Darius Boyd and Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy.
The students visited the Broncos club at Red Hill where they toured the facilities, participated in a debate on the Voice to Parliament and met some of the staff and players.
The visit to Red Hill culminated in a networking event, providing the girls the chance to chat to employers from a range of industries and work on building first impressions and putting their best foot forward professionally.
The students heard from young leaders from Multicultural Australia, visited a local Indigenous art business, took a cultural art tour at South Brisbane, and visited the UQ campus in St Lucia where they underwent an amazing race activity and heard about higher education opportunities.
We received good feedback from the girls who attended the camp…
The students have told us that they loved the camp, made new friends and would love to go on camp again.
Some of the students also relayed that they appreciated the opportunity to speak with industry professionals during the industry networking session.
One student stated: “The leadership camp is really enjoyable.
“I’ve made many new connections and it’s fun to get to know everyone. It’s definitely been inspirational.
“It’s good to hear everyone’s stories and not be ashamed to talk about my own.”
Did they get the chance to meet any players/take home anything?
Broncos Ambassadors took part in the camp, helping to welcome the girls to camp, hosting some sessions, and accompanying them on excursions.
The Ambassadors were – Darius Boyd, Justin Hodges, Scott Prince, and Ali Brigginshaw
Darius Boyd also delivered a session on resilience and wellbeing.
Two NRL players Keenan Palasia and Cory Paix also attended one night.
Hosted by Justin Hodges, these players took part in cultural games with the girls and answered some questions in a Q & A.
It was a lot of fun and the girls enjoyed the night.
The girls also got a photo with the entire team when at Red Hill.
What is Arrow Energy’s involvement with the program?
Resource company Arrow Energy has been supporting the BtB Girls Academy program in the Surat and Toowoomba regions since 2018.
Arrow is helping to support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from across the region to attend school, achieve academically and participate in activities to build their leadership skills such as the Arrow Leadership Camp.
Arrow representative Shenda Evans, Principal Social Investment and Indigenous Relations, took part in the Industry Networking Event at Red Hill, speaking with students about their career aspirations and said: “I was honoured to participate in such an inspiring event, …..
“Meeting the ladies and hearing about their stories was so inspirational.”
