By JESSE GRAHAM
YOUNG leaders from around the Yarra Ranges gathered to celebrate their achievements and to hear special guest speakers at an annual alumni dinner last week.
The dinner was held for Yarra Ranges Council Youth Services’ Young Leaders past and present at the Foothills Conference Centre in Mooroolbark on Wednesday 9 July.
The room was filled with tables of former and current participants in the program, which gathers young adults and helps to build skills in public speaking, time management and leadership.
Yarra Ranges councillor Maria McCarthy spoke to the group about her own leadership experiences in running a small business, her involvement with the Lilydale Chamber of Commerce and public speaking practice through Toastmasters.
“My varied experiences and interests have brought me to where I am today,” she said.
“I implore you to make the most of those experiences you have through the Young Leaders program and many others that arise as a result of it.”
Former Young Leaders spoke about their lives after completing the program with one since opening a small business and another currently compiling a book.
Curious Consulting’s Lisa Stephenson then took the floor and spoke about positivity and the way that people see the world.
Ms Stephenson said that people’s view of the world is created by their environment and their family and that, for many people, their “road-map” or perception of the world is generated by the age of five.
However, she urged the audience to not let their perception of the world be set in stone and to try to experience new situations – even uncomfortable ones – as much as possible.
“It’s really important for you guys to have that in your mind… it keeps you curious and keeps you asking great questions,” she said.
She said that, of the 60,000 thoughts that people experience daily, around 95 per cent are habitual – or repeating – and that 80 per cent of all thoughts tend to be negative.
Ms Stephenson told the Young Leaders that thoughts only have the positive or negative meaning that their owner attaches to them, and that they should try to keep a positive mind-set, even in routine situations.
A good example, according to Ms Stephenson, was not thinking “I have to go to work today”, but rather “I get to go to work today” and to think about the positives of situations.
Finishing up on the night, former Young Leaders participant and MC on the evening Josh Watson praised the program and summed up his feelings about the results it brings.
“The community is a much better place as a result of what you people have done,” he said.
The Young Leaders program aims to bring together people aged 17-25, to develop leadership skills, share experiences together and work on a project to benefit young people in the local community.
For more information, visit www.yrys.com or call 9294 6716.
