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Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman at the opening of a new Miwatj health clinic.
As well as getting advice from established
Indigenous leaders, participants have referenced
the importance of
seeing up close what leadership
actually looks like—challenges and all
. Chad
Creighton says his group heard candid stories of
established Indigenous leaders, which helped them
consider ambitions:
We learned that the people who are leaders
today didn’t have it easy. They had to put in
the yards to get there, they didn’t waltz in.
From the outside it looks easy and that, but it’s
not. It’s sacrifice. They’re inspirational because of
what they sacrificed in their personal lives, and
you have to ask yourself what you’re willing
to sacrifice.
The Emerging Leaders program exposes young
people to what leadership is. You won’t otherwise
get exposure to it, to understanding the realities
of leadership. Then you can make the decisions.
The program helps you see inside what a leader is.
The exposure helped Chad see how diverse
leadership can be, and how each individual’s role
can make a contribution within and beyond their
community:
It showed us what the ingredients of leadership
are, and also helped us see our own personalities.
In normal life you’re knuckling down and getting
the job done. The program gave us a chance to
stop and look at ourselves, which was good and
was uplifting.
I came back feeling, alright, I can see there’s
something bigger at stake. Even a small
contribution over here can make a big
difference. I might not need to be on a national
stage but I can do my thing here and we can get
something happening that makes a difference
here and beyond.
The program
deepens understanding of what it
takes to drive change, and builds the motivation,
confidence and networks required for active
leadership roles
. For many participants, being part of
the Emerging Leaders experience is transformative.
1. EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP 11