Community Creators is an initiative aimed at teaching young people the importance of community. The first round of their pilot program was held at Jordan River Learning Feder­ation Senior School in Term One, designed and facilitated by Brighton Council.

A group of mentors from Coun­cil, the school and community held six sessions with a dedi­cated group of young people. They learnt about overlooked opportunities in the commu­nity and recognised the talents of young people. Together, the students and mentors explored the concept of community, how to actively participate in it, and what it means to be a commu­nity leader.

The young creators identified several important areas to focus on:

• Keeping the community safe
• Looking at ways of targeting and supporting students who have experienced bullying
• Helping teachers understand students with neuro diversity
• Looking at ways to keep the community beautiful and cared for
• Helping local wildlife and animals
• Having safe activities for young people to do.

JRLFSS student Jazmine said, “Having the chance to join the community creator program at school has opened my eyes so much. I went from thinking that I couldn’t do much as a kid in my community to knowing that I can do anything I have passion for. It helped me learn that we have the resources, and we have adults that can help us work up to our goals for the community and even opened up opportunities I didn’t know I had.”

The students created a clear plan for moving forward and taking action on the ideas they found significant. This plan is guiding their efforts as they reconvene for the second part of the trial in Term Two.