Leadership Program

Zoos Victoria Conservation Youth Leadership program
In the Zoos Victoria Youth Leadership Program, I was lucky enough to be able to work with lots of conservation leaders and develop many leadership skills. Over 10 days spanning from May to June, I spent 4 days at Melbourne Zoo and 6 days in and around Healesville sanctuary along with 34 other students who share some of the same interests. In these 10 days we got to come up with a community engagement plan in small groups, which we then presented to our stakeholders to get some insight and ideas from them, before presenting our plans to our parents and teachers at a graduation ceremony. Throughout this program I got to meet a lot of people who are working really hard in threatened species conservation, some who specifically work with Leadbeaters Possums, which was our focus animal. We did many team bonding and leadership activities as well as going out to see the sites where the Leadbeaters Possum will be translocated to in the future, and seeing some wild animals in their natural habitat.
By Lexi Firth - Year 9