Agriculture Victoria has partnered with Regional Leadership to offer a fully funded place for a young farmer in each of their ten regional leadership programs for 2021.
Are you keen to:
- connect with other people within your community who are interested in improving their leadership skills?
- deepen your understanding of where your agriculture business sits within your region?
- identify and develop your leadership style and identify your strengths?
- gain support in improving your management and resilience skills?
- participate in study tours in multiple different businesses across the region?
This program could be for you!
Benefits of being involved in a Regional Leadership Program:
We chatted to Jennifer Zappia a young table grape farmer who completed the Northern Mallee Leaders program in 2019. To find out why she thinks the program is a worthwhile experience for young farmers. Jennifer is a member of several community and agricultural groups including Northern Mallee Leaders and SuniTAFE’s Horticulture Innovations Advisory Group and the Young Farmer Business Network Community of Practice. She decided to take on the Northern Mallee Leaders Program because she wanted to foster mentoring and collaboration among young farmers in her local community.
Having now completed the program, Jen thinks that the Regional Leadership courses are a, “fantastic opportunity for any young agriculture professionals or farmers looking to get more involved in community leadership.” She said Northern Mallee Leaders encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone and, “get comfortable being uncomfortable,” which has helped her to realise her leadership potential.
For Jen the program was also a great opportunity to connect with diverse facets of her community including; business, government, environment and indigenous culture. This exposure helped her to gain a better understanding of, “the challenges and opportunities pertinent to a range of industries that contribute to our region’s history and growth potential.”
Overall Jen said that she would, “encourage anyone who is interested in learning about their local community and seeking to develop their leadership skills, to submit an expression of interest with their local Regional Community Leadership Program’.”
Applicants are required to be 18 to 40 years of age, residing in regional or rural Victoria, and involved in agriculture or the agriculture supply chain. You may be eligible to claim some out of pocket expenses, please contact your program for more information.
Further Information
If you are interested in applying for one of the young farmer funded places in the 2021 program you can read further about the opportunities and benefits of the program and find out which region-specific program you are eligible for on the Regional Leadership website.
Applications for the Gippsland, Goulburn Murray, Great South Coast, Lead Loddon Murray and Northern Mallee Leaders are looking to close applications 30 October 2020.
Wimmera have just opened their recruitment, Ballarat and Geelong have not commenced recruitment as yet.
Check out the Regional Leadership Podcasts to hear stories of local leaders who live, work, invest, create and collaborate in rural, regional and remote Australian communities.
For more information please contact Sarah Wallis, Young Farmer Project Coordinator at [email protected]
