Desert Knowledge Australia (DKA) is a not for profit organisation working to build harmony, sustainability and wealth in the desert, to ensure a prosperous future for all Australia’s desert people. For the past three years, Arup Community Partnering Program has worked in partnership with DKA on a range of projects, including the Desert Leadership Program. The program aims to build leadership potential by developing participants’ skills, engaging them with the community, and encouraging new ways of working together. The program was initially developed to enhance the skills and capacity of Indigenous and non-indigenous adult leaders of central Australia, but soon expanded to include youths and future leaders.
The beginning of the Desert Leadership Program
In 2010 an adult leadership program was implemented to develop role models and inspiration to the younger generation. For this program, Arup’s Community Partnering Program organised a training day in Melbourne, including workshops, one on one tutoring, skills development, and concluded with a party for the participants to network. During the day, a number of participants were matched with Arup staff members in their specific fields, to gain valuable knowledge with direct relevance. This event provided the future leaders an opportunity to meet with a number of corporate clients, as well as expand their understanding large scale companies and engineering practices.
The following year saw the addition of the Youth Desert Leadership Program, specifically aimed at the future leaders of Central Australia. Arup worked in partnership with DKA to provide an educational and inspiration leadership program. A group of 15 girls and boys were flown down to Melbourne to experience some of the sights it had to offer. Arup provided a sports themed day, taking the future leaders around AAMI Park and providing an insight into the possibilities of engineering, looking at the Singapore Sport Hub, Melbourne Olympic Parks and IceHouse Skating Facility. A range of workshops and activities were also undertaken with great enthusiasm, looking at community challenges and possible solutions.
Now in its second year, the Youth Desert Leadership Program is progressing well. On Saturday March 23rd 2012 a group of fourteen students and four teachers gathered at the Desert Knowledge Precinct to take part in anopening retreat facilitated by Mark Yettica-Paulson. Activities in communication trust and perceptions introduced effective leadership techniques and developed the capacity of the future young leaders.
Anouska Zerna was engaged by Desert Knowledge Australia to observe the 2012 Youth
Leadership Program from an external perspective. She was extremely impressed by the positive characteristics of the program and enthusiastic responses of all those involved.
“When I spoke with some of the participants during a break I found that many of the students had already demonstrated themselves as leaders… Others have a great desire to make a difference in the world, showing an advanced maturity through such realisations as ‘we only have one life to live’.
“The potential of the participants and what they could achieve over the program’s course is great and I can’t wait for the next instalment.” Anouska Zerna.
Arup is looking to continue its partnership with DKA, and host another educational and exciting day in Melbourne for the Youth Desert Leadership Program 2012.
