Future Leaders Program Empowers Youth to Lead, Collaborate and Create Change
- Kimberley Chu
- Sep 25
- 3 min read
22nd September 2025
Greater Shepparton region — Greater Shepparton’s next generation of leaders came together on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 August 2025 for the Future Leaders Program, a two-day youth leadership initiative designed to develop confidence, strengthen community connections, and amplify the voices of young people across the region, delivered by Goulburn Murray Community Leadership (GMCL).
Delivered with the support of a grant from Greater Shepparton City Council, the program brought together students from schools across the region for a dynamic mix of workshops, activities, and real-world learning opportunities. Participants explored a range of topics, including leadership styles, cultural inclusivity, local economic development, volunteering, and future career pathways. They took part in hands-on activities, such as:
Discovered their leadership strengths
Explored volunteering opportunities and community connections across the region
Built confidence to step up as leaders in their schools and communities
Youth Voice Pitch – Students developed and presented their ideas on the issues that matter most to young people and what they want local leaders to know.
Community Mapping – Identified existing services, opportunities, and gaps where youth-led solutions can make a difference.
GMCL Executive Officer, Jesse Mitchell, said the program is about giving young people the tools, confidence, and opportunities to shape their community’s future:
“Our region is full of passionate and capable young people who want to make a difference. The Future Leaders Program creates a space for their voices to be heard while developing the skills and networks they need to step into leadership roles — whether that’s in their school, community, or future workplace.”
Lisa Kerr, GSSC Partnerships Manager said “Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) is deeply grateful to the GMCL team and Greater Shepparton City Council for their invaluable collaboration on the recent Future Leaders program. This cross-school initiative proved to be an incredibly beneficial addition, and we look forward to seeing more opportunities like this within our community. Over the course of the two-day program, it was inspiring to witness the students’ confidence grow significantly. It was truly refreshing to see young leaders from different schools come together, united in their passion to advocate for the wellbeing of our community. GSSC is committed to supporting programs that empower the next generation of leaders and foster strong community connections.”
The program also highlighted the importance of volunteering and civic participation, with local not-for-profit organisations invited to showcase opportunities for young people to get involved and give back to their community.
Tom Robinson, GSSC Year 10-12 Sub School Leader, said, “What a fantastic opportunity that was presented to GSSC’s young leaders! A valuable chance to network with students from Rushworth. The students had a wonderful time, building their leadership capacity and exploring volunteering prospects”
Students that participated in the program and provided feedback reported -
90% of respondents said they would recommend the program to others
90% agreed or strongly agreed to feeling more confident speaking in front of a group
100% agreed or strongly agreed to better understanding ways to be a leader
Most participants said the projects and meeting new people were their favourite parts of the program
GSSC Participant quotes -
Nafissa said, “The Youth Leadership Program was fun I really enjoyed it, and I hope we get to do it again in the future. The thing that I enjoyed most was the project we did and made our own. I learned you must make sure you’re helping others, the other thing I learned was how to volunteer and where to volunteer to help people in the community.”
Florian said, "What I enjoyed about the Youth leadership workshop was meeting new people from another school and building off of and improving my existing leadership skills."
Hary said, "What I enjoyed most about the workshop was the games that utilised everyone's unique leadership capabilities to win; I also found the project making near the end interesting since we put together ideas that could improve the community"
Lily – Ann said, "What I enjoyed most about the workshops were: meeting and working with different people. What I took away from the 2 days were: Don't be afraid to share your ideas. The skills I developed from the program were: sharing my ideas. My favourite part of the 2 days were: the group project"
The two-day program concluded with a graduation celebration where participants reflected on their journey and received certificates recognising their achievements. Organisers thank Greater Shepparton City Council for supporting the project with the Community Matching Grant and La Trobe University Shepparton Campus for providing a training space.