Exciting Opportunity for Youth – Sailing Voyage

The Leeuwin youth sailing program has been running for 32 years and 2019 will be the 30th year the Shire of Harvey participates in the youth development program.

Leeuwin Chief Executive Officer Carol Shannon said the Harvey Shire Council had supported more than 100 youth between 15 to 25 years from Harvey Shire to attend the program over the past 29 years.

She said the Shire’s commitment and level of engagement in the program had been used as a model for other Shires to encourage wider sponsorship for the program.

This week, three participants shared their experiences after taking part in the program and thanked the Harvey Shire Council and staff for enabling them to attend.

The Lions Club of Harvey, Brunswick and Australind, along with the Rotary Club of Harvey also contributed financially to the program, which enabled the youth to experience the voyage.

Participant Imogen Atkinson, 16, of Australind said she learnt to cope in challenging situations with a lack of sleep and enjoyed meeting new people.

She said each day was different and she enjoyed getting to experience all aspects of sailing the ship.

Participant Isaiah Martin, 18, of Australind said he was grateful for the sponsorship and support from Council and local service providers that had made it possible for him to attend the program.

Isaiah said he was surprised when he arrived on the ship because he thought that he would be assisting a crew of people to sail the ship, instead, he was the crew and this excited him.

Participant Shannon Power, 18, of Roelands said forming new friendships had been a highlight, and acquiring life-long skills was beneficial to her personal development.

If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in participating in, applications are now open for 2019 subsidised Leeuwin Voyages.

To apply and get more information head to https://www.harvey.wa.gov.au/leeuwin-voyages/