Supporting young people to reach their true potential
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Stephen Michael
A West Australian Football Legend
Stephen Michael is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever players from Western Australia and arguably the greatest in the history of the South Fremantle Football Club.
Throughout his life, Stephen has demonstrated great values and integrity and the perfect role model to have a foundation honouring his name.
A proud Aboriginal man, Stephen was born in Wagin, WA and grew up in the southern Wheatbelt town of Kojonup before making his way to the South Fremantle Football Club where he became a legend.
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2024 Leadership Camp 🎨
In the space of just 24 hours, connections had been made, bonds were growing, and our students were investing themselves in every challenge, activity, or task asked of them. The second day of the Rising Leaders Camp required that our students be bold, be brave, show their creative side, and work as a team in a number of different team activities.
We rotated through these and at the end, our students walked away with more than just their new personally designed camp shirts - they walked away with memories to last a lifetime.
Check out the best bits from Day Two.
📷: @rnfstudiios
Inspiring New Leadership 🤝
The Stephen Michael Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of @chrissiemaus as our first female Chairperson.
Chrissie Maus succeeds outgoing Chairperson Tom Bottrell, whose tenure as Chairperson has been pivotal in shaping the Foundation’s mission. Chrissie, who has been instrumental in numerous brave social impact initiatives, will work closely with our CEO and the team to expand the Foundation’s reach and build on our legacy of empowering youth through sport, education, and mentorship.
We are also thrilled to welcome Christine Coyne and Neil Alweyn to our Board. Christine, a leading specialist in Aboriginal Engagement, and Neil, an expert in education with a deep understanding of today’s learning environments, bring invaluable expertise to enhance our inclusive engagement and delivery of impactful programs.
We look forward to this exciting new chapter under Chrissie’s leadership and to continuing our work empowering young people to reach their full potential.
Reminiscing on Jambinu 🤩
In September, the Stephen Michael Foundation proudly hosted the second annual Jambinu Football Carnival in Geraldton, building on the success of last year’s inaugural event. This year, the Carnival brought together approximately 160 participants from Geraldton and surrounding regions, including Mullewa, Northampton, Meekatharra, Morawa, Carnarvon, Shark Bay, Leonora, and Mount Magnet.
With four boys’ teams and three girls’ teams, the Carnival highlighted the remarkable talent and sportsmanship of young athletes from across the regions. More than just a showcase of football skills, the event created a space for participants to connect with peers, grow in confidence, and strengthen ties with their broader communities.
The Stephen Michael Foundation is thrilled to continue fostering opportunities like these, where sport becomes a powerful tool for showcasing talent, fostering growth, and bringing communities together.
📷: @jessepickett_2
Happy birthday Tony!
Today we celebrate a much loved member of our team. Always approachable and eager to offer support, Tony provides valuable guidance to both younger staff and the youth he mentors.
The knowledge Tony has shared and the stories he’s told about his journey truly reflect his grit, determination, and relentless drive for success. With years of experience in AFL and coaching, Tony utilises his expertise to foster the skills and leadership capabilities of young people.
Tony’s passion for AFL, combined with his impressive background, allows him to connect with and inspire youth. Through his network and experience, he creates real opportunities for youth to pursue their dreams and make positive life decisions.
Thank you for everything you’ve done Tony. Your wisdom, generosity, and ability to lead by example continue to inspire those around you.
Wishing you all the very best for your special day Tony – here’s to many more years of laughter, lessons, and making an impact.
A Digital Memory Book of our Camp
If we were to capture some of our greatest camp memories from last week and put them all together, this is how it would look. One big montage of all of the moments that make up this special event.
From having Stephen Michael welcome us all in at the start, to designing our camp t-shirts, to racing off with eggs and spoons, and all the bits in between. It’s amazing to think what we did in three days!
Enjoy this digital memory book that showcases those experiences now kept as forever memories.
2024 Leadership Camp 🌊
Last week we held our annual Rising Leaders Camp at Point Peron and what a wonderful few days it was. This year we had students from our Gnalla Djooks Program join with our Rising Leaders which made for an extra special event, as well as our biggest group of students!
Take a look through some of the highlights from our first day on the camp. We kayaked, played games on the beach, and tried our hand at archery. It was great to see students who had never done these things before give them a go and embrace their surroundings - a beautiful sunny day in Point Peron was quite the contrast from the desert for some of our students.
We’ve got lots more to share, so stay tuned for some of the best parts of our camp yet to come.
Community Engagement 🤝
The Waalitj Kaartidjin Engagement Boys Program has been successfully running at Busselton Senior High School throughout the school year. During this time, we’ve focused on building skills in sports, cooking, and leadership. The relationships and trust we’ve fostered have helped our Waalitj Kaartidjin students grow in confidence, particularly as they prepared for an engagement session with the @lifeatriotinto Gudai Dari team.
Our students took the initiative to prepare their own questions and facilitated a Q&A session with the Rio representatives. It was heartwarming to witness the quick rapport they developed during this two-hour interaction. While they learned about Rio Tinto, they also had the opportunity to teach the Rio staff how to kick an AFL ball and introduced them to our beloved four-square volleyball, which has been a favourite activity this year.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff from Gudai Dari Rio Tinto for their valuable time and support.
Cultural Excursion 🌿
Our Gnalla Djooks ladies from Rockingham and Lakeland Senior High Schools recently enjoyed an enriching excursion at Kings Park, Mooro Katta Gar-Up.
The ladies participated in a cultural tour led by @nyungartours , where their guide Honey, shared in-depth stories and knowledge about the rich history and cultural significance of the area.
Honey introduced the group to various native plants, explaining their traditional uses as medicinal plants and bush foods.
After the tour, the group came together to share a delicious lunch, providing a relaxed moment to reflect on the insights they’d gained. It was a day filled with learning, cultural appreciation, and new connections - a meaningful experience that left a lasting impact on each participant.
These ARE the Future Leaders
You’ve heard about Rising Leaders… but have you heard or seen our up and coming Future Leaders Program?
Future Leaders is all about preparing our young primary schoolers for the transition to high school and everything that entails, talking about our identities, how to work as a team, our (multiple) cultures, our values and how we develop these, and of course, an introduction to leadership.
Here is a little insight into what a weekly session looks like at one of our primary schools, keep an eye out for more on this exciting new program ✨
Busselton Nightfields is a Hit!
If you’re a school student or young person in Busselton and you haven’t been to one of our Nightfields sessions this year, you’re missing out. It is the place to be on a Wednesday afternoon. From the fun and competitive sports games to the delicious food made by the @cwabusseltonbelles at each session, it is such a great way to spend your afternoon after school and even better as the weather warms up.
Thank you to our much appreciated helpers and volunteers who make the event possible including @headspace_aus @lamp_inc_southwest and @cwabusseltonbelles
Celebrating Culture, Connection and Community
Young people from across Walyalup gathered at Fremantle Oval to engage in activities aimed at fostering a deep and lasting appreciation for the world’s oldest continuing culture.
The SMF Culture Through Sport Carnival began with a Welcome to Country led by Robyn Collard and her grandsons. Across the day, participants watched a performance of traditional dances by the Wadumbah Dance Group, ate traditional food, took part in an art and cultural awareness session with Bruce and Linda Loo, and competed in 4 traditional Aboriginal games.
A special thank you to the National Indigenous Australians Agency for their generous contribution, which made this event possible.
We would also like to acknowledge @mayor_hannah_freo, Deputy Mayor of Cockburn Chontelle Stone, @headspacefreo, @palmerston_association, @neami_national, @cityofcockburn, @cityoffremantle, @healthway.wa, and @imagined.futures for their support in bringing this event to fruition.
📹: @rnfstudiios, @huemen_media
Presenting to the Shire President 💭🎤
As part of our Advancing Leaders Program, students were asked to select and research a community-based issue that was meaningful to them.
Our Collie Advancing Leaders students explored the issue of volunteer support at community events and why there is at times, a shortage in this area. Following their research they created a presentation to the Shire President of Collie and delivered this to showcase their findings and propose their solutions. 📈
We are so proud of the students for committing to this project, trying lots of new things such as public speaking and stepping out of their comfort zone in what was a hugely successful final presentation. This was a massive achievement and embodied the idea that our leaders are ‘advancing’ in their skills and capabilities as encouraged from the start of the program. Congratulations to all involved!
Event Time at Gilmore 🙌
Recently our Rising Leaders at Gilmore College delivered their end-of-program event to 60 Year 8 students. They ran a multi-sport carnival including soccer, netball, basketball, and Oz Tag and did an incredible job in leading these sports. They took charge across the day and should be very proud of what they have achieved.
The event module of our Rising Leaders Program asks students to design and lead an entire school event for a year group of their choice. Typically this involves putting together some kind of sports day, carnival, themed class, indoor event or set of challenges and then ensuring all of the fundamentals are in place including promotion material, operations, logistics, run sheets, speakers on the day and more.
It takes a great display of leadership for these sorts of the events to come together and that is exactly what our Gilmore Rising Leaders have done. Congratulations on your event Gilmore! 👏
Visits from the CEO in Narrogin
We’ve had another wonderful year at Narrogin SHS working with Year 10 students to build their confidence, develop connections with one another, and cover some important topics as part of our Rising Leaders Program.
Recently our students had a visit from our CEO Paul, who came to deliver a presentation on Inclusion; speaking to students about all things prejudice, opinions, diversity, how we form our preconceived ideas of others and how we deconstruct these and try to see things differently. This builds well on their prior learnings of perception and seeing the world in different ways, and gives students the tools to be able to navigate this every day.
It was great to watch as some of the big topics we’ve explored this year were epitomised in a personalised presentation by our very own leader and head of the Foundation.
Happy Birthday Alex!
Over the last few years, Alex has been leaving a lasting impact through his strong dedication for empowering youth.
His genuine charisma and down to earth nature allow him to connect effortlessly with everyone. As a proud and committed individual, he serves as an inspiring role model for young people.
They are drawn to his honesty and relatable nature, building strong relationships with him. Alex leads by example, motivating and encouraging youth to overcome obstacles and reach their fullest potential.
We value the work that you do and person you are Alex, keep on inspiring and achieving!
Today is Rennie’s birthday!
It wasn’t long ago that Rennie joined our team but the impact she has had in the Southwest region (and beyond!) has been impressive. Rennie’s ability to identify the needs of those she works with and address them in a kind, caring, and empathetic manner is something we love about working with Rennie. Her connection with the youth in Busselton, Bunbury, Australind, and Collie is evident in the way the young people talk to her and about her, and relate with her. She has a real knack for connecting on an individual level.
Outside of working with youth, Rennie is an admin wizard and takes her ‘off field’ connections to stakeholders, community members, and school staff just as seriously. She is driven and devoted in all that she does. The region wouldn’t be the same without her.
Happy birthday Rennie!
