The Edmund Rice Centre (ERC) ran a leadership camp on the weekend of 12th – 14th April at the DCP beach camp site in Secret Harbour. The camp was attended by Youth Leaders from the Youth Leadership Group as well as potential members. The camp was run in partnership with the Mullaloo Sea Scouts and the Edmund Rice Network. The aim of the camp was to improve the leadership abilities of the participants as well as fostering greater friendships and improving links between the Edmund Rice Centre and other organisations, especially the Mullaloo Sea Scouts. The leadership abilities of the participants were improved by introducing/reviewing concepts of leadership and expanding on topics covered in regular leadership meetings, which concluded with the performance of plays by small groups that highlighted particular leadership qualities. Accredited Sportsfun coaching principles were delivered, and this culminated in the youth running their own basketball tournament, complete with coaches, referees and scorers. Activities were also run by the Mullaloo Sea Scouts to challenge our Youth Leaders.

Recognising that the interactions with the Refugee youth community and the police is mostly negative, the Edmund Rice Centre Youth Leadership Group initiated a meeting with a representative from Community Policing, Sgt Garry Tuffin, with the aim of learning more about the police force and providing a forum for positive interaction and discussion. The meeting lasted around two hours, an indication that it was enjoyable and productive. All of the people at the meeting emerged with an improved understanding of the issues. The questions posed by the leaders included: Why are young people stopped? What rights do police/citizens have? What are the trouble spots in the area? Where are youth most likely to be stopped? What training do officers get in ‘people to people’ interactions? What is the salary range for police officers? Is it enough for the type of job they are asked to do? What problems does this cause for individuals? What issues do the police have with young people? What are the three most common crimes in the area? Is driving without a license a major issue? In what communities is it largest? To what extent is racial profiling practice? Is anything done to combat it? What can we do to increase positive interactions among youth and police? Specifically, what can the leadership group do? This was followed up by a visit and walkthrough the Mirrabooka Police Station, where the Youth Leaders and local police officer had afternoon tea together. One of or Youth Leaders then served on the committee for the Mirrabooka Police Station Open Day, as part of a continuing association.

The Edmund Rice Centre Youth Leadership Group partnered with the Elders Every Human Has Rights Campaign to promote the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by individuals. The Leadership Group opened the Edmund Rice Centre Mirrabooka computing facilities to enable people to sign the Universal Declaration through the Every Human Has Rights Campaign website (www.everyhumanhasrights.org), and provided informational seminars on topics related to human rights. There was multicultural food provided on the day, as well as entertainment, particularly for the young children and adolescents. The day was well attended, with over 140 people visiting the Centre and 116 signatures collected. This was a fantastic achievement for the Youth Leaders, who were buoyed by their improved knowledge of human rights and their improved ability to speak in front of crowds of people. Special thanks to the many community organizations that helped make the event a success including the City of Stirling, Girradoola Lions, the Office of the State Member for Yokine, City of Wanneroo, Edmund Rice Camps for Kids, Office of Multicultural Interests, Community Parks Project, Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Education and Training, as well as all of the volunteers, who did a tremendous job.

The Edmund Rice Centre Youth Leadership Group in partnership with the City of Stirling ran a 3-on-3 basketball tournament as part of National Youth Week 2008. The preparation involved our Youth Leaders training as basketball referees so that they could umpire the tournament. Those who didn’t undertake training acted as scorers and assistants and we had help from many other organizations. A total of 22 youth participated in the event predominantly from Sudanese backgrounds. The support from other local organizations was fantastic and the event went very well. The leaders learnt a lot about organization and managing a medium sized event and their reputation in the community continues to grow. Their effort were also reported in the local community newspaper. Supporters of the event include National Youth Week, Edmund Rice Centre Camps for Kids, Department of the Attorney General, Department of Sport and Recreation and the Office of Multicultural Interests.

The ERC Youth Leadership Camp was held on 11-13th April at the Ern Haliday Recreation Centre in Hillarys. The purpose of the camp was to introduce the ideas of leadership to the kids who take part in the Youth Sports Programme.

Activities included crate climbing, abseiling, lost pilot, rock climbing and a lantern stalk. Youth Leaders were encouraged to use the leadership skills developed to encourage the younger kids to participate in and enjoy  the organised activities.

The ERC Youth Leaders took on a leadership role during the camp, with each leader responsible for a group of 3-5 kids. One of the tasks of each group was to develop a coaching session for 6 year olds.

This was the first ERC Youth Leadership camp. It was held at the Keith Maine campsite at Whiteman Park in September 2006. The camp was an introduction to leadership for the youth between 15  - 20 years of age that have been associated with the Edmund Rice Centre. This resulted in the formation of the ERC Youth Leadership Group.

Activities such as bushwalks, bike rides and games were approached with the aim of improving the leadership skills of the participants. For example, on the bushwalk, the group was asked to come to consensus on the route taken. With the bike ride, the leaders were asked to lead from the front and also to make sure everyone was keeping up, which required some of them to remain behind.