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Kokoda Movie: Video 3.31min

Youth Challenge Treks

The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge

The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge (KYLC) is an annual peer group leadership program sponsored by the RSL Service Clubs Association. The program was developed by former army major, Charlie Lynn, of Adventure kokoda.

The program is designed for young Australians who have leadership potential. It matters not whether this is regarded as ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ potential at the time of selection.

A ‘positive’ leader could be a responsible senior student in a local high school; a volunteer community worker; or a local employee. A ‘negative’ leader could be a young person who has fallen in with the wrong crowd; a referee from a local magistrate; or a member of a local youth organisation working with the disadvantaged such as the PCYC, Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets or Youth Insearch.

The most important factor is they are recognised as having influence amongst their peers.

The objective of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Program is to influence young people to become positive leaders as a result of their Kokoda experience. It is therefore important that each group have a blend of ‘negative’ and ‘positive’ leaders.

Kokoda is a living leadership laboratory for young Australians. There is no other program that combines such a realistic physical challenge with a blend of historical, cultural and environmental learning experiences.

Benefits

Participants in the Kokoda Youth Leadership Program will gain:

An appreciation of our military history;
A respect for the sacrifice made by young Australians of a previous generation;
An appreciation of a culture whose values are not based on materialism;
A sense of responsibility for the outcomes of the choices they make;
An appreciation of the qualities necessary for effective teamwork i.e. loyalty, trust, honesty, courage, leadership, respect, discipline and sacrifice.
An understanding of the characteristics of Australian leadership;
An appreciation of the 7 essential understandings of effective leadership (self, others, culture, environment, history, present and future).
An understanding of the purpose and value of community service.

Selection Requirement - Schools

The student can be male or female between 16 – 18 years old;
the school must provide between 3 & 5 students for the interview panel from the sponsoring RSL Club to interview at the school;
preference will be given to those students who have a connection with Kokoda, ie relative fought there, they have studied the area in their school work or have interest outside of school in this area of Australia’s history. They must be able to demonstrate this to the panel;
have an understanding of the role of the RSL and can demonstrate an appreciation of the role that our armed forces have played in developing Australia as a nation;
as the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge is a major personal development, life changing experience it is seen as an opportunity for the school to put forward students who they consider to be ‘at risk’ or ‘under-achieving’ and that a historic journey of self-discovery would assist;
the Club also has a preference to provide the experience to those students whose family situation would normally not permit them to have this experience;
the Club has to be convinced that the student is or can be fit enough to handle the experience, both physically and mentally; and
must be a full time student of the school when they depart for the trip.

Selection Process

Schools call for nominations from its senior students. The school reduces this nomination number to 3-5 students, based on the above criteria. Those 3-5 candidates are then interviewed by representatives from the Club, with a member of the school executive present. From this interview, two students are selected to go to a final interview conducted by the Club (no school involvement) at the student’s home or appropriate place with the student and the parent(s). From this interview the final nominee is selected and the unsuccessful candidate becomes the reserve.

The student then undertakes preparation for the trek during which time fitness levels are monitored. The reserve student is also encouraged to undertake a fitness regime in the event that the first selected candidate is unable to make the trip.

The successful candidates from both schools are introduced and as a support mechanism are encouraged to maintain contact prior to the trip.

Indicative Cost:

The total cost to the student is about $500, depending on how much gear they already have. Where the student or parent is unable to meet that cost the sponsoring RSL Club will provide some or all of the expenses depending on the financial situation of the student or their family. Some of these expenses include:

Passport
Spending Money
Money to purchase Visa into PNG.
Solid Footwear
Suitable clothing
Fitness routine
Medical supplies

Post Trek Obligation by Participants

In recognition of the opportunity granted to them by sponsoring RSL Clubs, Kokoda students:

Are recognized as the sponsoring club’s ambassadors for the next twelve months and should be available to represent the Club at Anzac and Remembrance Day activities;
are required to make a presentation to the Club’s Board of Directors within 3 months of the conclusion of their trip;
should be prepared to share the experience with other local RSL and Service Clubs;
should allow the club use of photographs or material relative to their experience for use in various publications, without cost; and
be prepared to share verbally or in writing their “life changing experiences” gained from Kokoda with a Board Member or Management team member to allow the club to assess the success or otherwise of it’s commitment to the Kokoda Youth Challenge Program up to two years after the relevant “experience”.

Note: RSL Club managers requiring additional information on student selection and management should contact Mr Graeme Hicks, Manager for Community Relations, Albury SS&A Club on 02 60226116.

Community Selection Guidelines

The Kokoda Leadership Challenge Program should be something young Australians aspire to do. The program will only benefit those who appreciate the privilege of being chosen and who are willing to learn about the Kokoda campaign prior to their departure. They should also be willing to commit to a rigorous physical training program to ensure they are physically capable of completing the program.

Applicants should therefore demonstrate a strong desire to participate in the program. This desire can be measured by a willingness to conduct personal research in order to gain an understanding of the Kokoda campaign prior to the final selection of the participants.

Applicants (male and female) should be between 16 and 23 years of age.

The final selection will be made by sponsoring RSL Service Clubs.

The Program

The Kokoda Youth Challenge Program provides participants with a practical leadership experience based on the achievements and sacrifice of our diggers during the Kokoda campaign. During the program, participants will receive a strategic overview of the Kokoda campaign on arrival in Port Moresby.

During the trek each day will commence with 'Orders'. This is a detailed orders session which covers a particular day of the Kokoda campaign. Orders are given in a military format (Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics and Communications). The situation will be illustrated on a mud model.

Battlesite briefings will be given at each significant location along the track during the day.

'Leadership Reflections' will be conducted at the end of each day. This involves a presentation and discussion on the qualities of brigade, company, platoon and section leaders.

The final session of the program involves a goal-setting program which requires participants to make a commitment to achieving a personal goal and a community service goal after they return to Australia. These will be shared with each sponsoring RSL Service Club.

Each day a participant will be appointed as the team leader. A list of their daily responsibilities will be provided by the Adventure Kokoda Trek Leader.

Organisation

The RSL Services Clubs Association is responsible for co-ordinating the program with participating clubs.

RSL Service Clubs are responsible for selecting participants in accordance with the above selection criteria.

Travelscene, Tweed Heads is responsible for all flight arrangements between participants departure airports and Port Moresby.

Adventure Kokoda is responsible for all operational and administrative aspects of the program in Papua New Guinea.

Cost of Program

The price for each participant in the program is $5195 ex-Sydney and $4995 ex-Brisbane. The following items are included in the program:

Australian Trek Leader
Public Liability Insurance Cover - $10 million per claim limit
Personal Travel Insurance
Return economy airfare between Australia and Papua New Guinea
Charter aircraft between Port Moresby and Kokoda
Accommodation on a twin share basis in Port Moresby
Dinner and breakfast on the first and last day in Port Moresby
Trek permit and access fees
Koiari/Orokaiva guides and group carriers
Camping/trek equipment
Village guesthouse/tented accommodation along the Track
All meals during the trek
Airport/accommodation transfers
All bus/4 WD transfers between airport, hotel and start/finish of trek
Kokoda Trek Diary and Guide Notes prepared by Charlie Lynn
Kokoda Polo-Shirt
Personal Backpack
2-Man insect proof tent (per person)
Personal sleeping bag and mat

Exclusions

The following items are not included in the price of the program:

Passport
A temporary visa for entry into PNG
Medical Certificate
Anti-malarial medication as prescribed by participants doctor
Personal First Aid items (as per the list below)

Personal camping equipment (less backpack, tent, sleeping bag/mat and group cooking equipment)

Further Information

Further information on the Kokoda Youth Challenge Program can be obtained from:

Graeme Carroll
Services Clubs Association Limited
PO Box 557
HURSTVILLE, NSW 1481
02 9579 4555

gcarroll@servicesclubs.asn.au

Testimonials

'Dear Charlie

'Well, I did it, and got through it much better than I expected, both physically and mentally. My physical condition was a worry for me considering my level of fitness but I coped better than expected, although I think it is probably easy to forget how hard it was on those really bad days.

'And I tell you what, that feeling you get walking into Kokoda, wow, is that powerful stuff or what! Is that part of the reason you've done it 39 times!!! I guess the biggest thing I've got out of the experience in general is nspiration. I say in general because there are so many things I've got out of it. Definitely life changing stuff!! It was especially important for me because I'm usually (was) a person who just drifts through life, letting opportunities pass by because its so easy to do so. But this time I thought, no, Im never going to have this opportunity again, so go for it, because life is way too short to waste time. And am I grateful for that decision!!!!

'I write to you today because Im on a bit of a mission. There were so many
amazing moments during the trek and throughout the whole experience, but
one event that stood out to me was the visit to the high schools, Iarowari
and Kokoda (middle school I think). In particular, one moment at Iarowari
sums up my whole aim here. I was talking to a few of the kids about
basically anything we could think of, and we got onto the subject of future
aspirations, once we left school, and I asked the guys (and girls) what
they'd like to do. Being a narrow minded westerner, I was sort of expecting
maybe 'farmer' or the like, but was given answers like doctor, accountant,
lawyer, ambassador etc. I think I remarked to one kid who said lawyer that
that would require a lot of work, but his response really shook me. "If you
believe in your dreams you can do anything." Honestly, in my life, I have
never met such a bunch of determined, grateful, inspirational people. It
certainly paints a bad picture of Australian teenagers who (like me in some
ways) waste opportunities we are given and take them for granted, when these kids, who have come from tough backgrounds, are so grateful for what they have. They're my heroes! And so, if I can do anything to help these kids,
I'm gonna do it!

'What I would like to do is the following. John pointed out to us that doing
things for the kids who were brave enough to come up and talk to us is
unfair, and I completely agree. So I'd like to do things that benefit the
whole school. I've sort of come up with the following ideas, and would like
to know what you think re appropriatness etc:

In reference to helping the kids with their future aspirations, I'd like
to send a few Jobguides over that our careers adviser is willing to donate. Jobguides are a publication put out by the Aus govt. which basically offer in depth descriptions of nearly every job imaginable. These could possibly be in the library as a resource???
Donation of old textbooks that the school no longer uses. There are so many back rooms filled with them, and many head teachers have indicated they are willing.
When we visited the library, I noticed the age of the computers there
(quite old) and also didnt see any at the Kokoda school. I've spoken to our
computing teacher and he indicated that he would be willing to donate some of the old computers ( 5 yrs old and newer) that the school no longer uses. I thought we could install software such as encyclopaedias etc which would become a great help.

'These are all just ideas I was sort of pondering on, and my principal has
suggested the possibility of the SRC being able to help out, but basically I
just want to help in any way I can, because with kids so determined as that,
they deserve every opportunity they can get. So basically I was just wanting
to seek your opinion on this and whether or not my ideas are appropriate.
And finally, thank you for this life-changing opportunity, I am very
grateful. In a way, its changed my whole outlook on life!

Cheers
Andrew Moon'