The program involves an arduous 10 day trek across the original Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, presentations at significant battle sites and discussions on sacrifice, courage, mateship, endurance and leadership. The program was developed by Charlie Lynn of Adventure Kokoda. The objectives of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge are to:
• Create an awareness of the campaigns in Papua New Guinea
during WW11.
• Foster an understanding of the environment, the languages, and the cultures of our nearest neighbour, Papua New Guinea.
• Encourage a commitment to community service.
• Develop adventure-based skills.
• Enhance the personal development of participants.
• Provide an opportunity to walk the Kokoda Trail to experience the conditions under which our Diggers fought and died for our freedom.
• Prepare participants for a future leadership role within our Australian community. Being selected for the trek is a privileged opportunity to develop personal leadership skills based on the values our Kokoda veterans held dearly. These include personal discipline, mutual respect, trust, mateship, courage and self-sacrifice. Successful candidates should be prepared to act as a community volunteer in some way after they return. Association CEO, Garrie Gibson, said the leadership program provides a major contribution to the community by:
• Encouraging these young leaders to help motivate their peers to take a positive role in their community and, among other things, reduce youth crime rates;
• Creating a source of young leaders coming back into their ranks; and,
• Encouraging participants to work with local community leaders on a range of projects. He said that for clubs the program had the potential to build stronger ties with the community and local business while increasing their relevance with young people who will be their future members and become the ‘custodians’ of the Anzac and Kokoda traditions. The leadership program aims to create a greater awareness of the sacrifices of the diggers on the Kokoda campaign among our young people to ensure the traditions live on. At the same time it instills in participants a commitment to community service, enhance their personal development by providing an opportunity for them to experience the same conditions under which our diggers fought and hopefully transform them for future leadership roles back in the community.
