Seeking trekkers and mentors for Kokoda

Shoalhaven City Council is seeking youths and mentors to take part in the Shoalhaven Kokoda Youth Experience 2011 project. As part of the project Council supports young people who take part in a trek along the famous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.
Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green said the Kokoda Trek is an invaluable way of enabling young people in the city grow and develop.
“Taking part in the Trek in 2009 was a demanding task for me personally but it created strong friendships, maturity among many youth members of the trek, and some lasting mates among the youth trekkers and the mentors who accompanied me on the Trek,” Clr Green said. “Council is proud to support this initiative as it will help develop strong social and leadership skills among our city’s youth.”
Council will hold an information session on the Kokoda Trek 2011 on Friday 4 March, providing information for people who might be interested in taking part. The 2011 Trek will begin on Monday 26 September to Friday 7 October with local citizen Simon Hart as Trek Leader. All participants need to be 16 years or over. Council is seeking 20 young people and 10 mentors to take part.
The Shoalhaven Kokoda Youth Experience 2011 project will see Shoalhaven youths involved in planning, undertaking adventure-based leadership activities, fundraising, getting fit, coming together as a group and teambuilding, and raising local awareness of the project. Each participant will also undertake research on the World War II history of the Kokoda Track. Each trekker will be given the name of an Australian serviceman who died on the Track in 1942 so that they can research the personal history of that soldier. The trekkers will be able to see the soldiers’ war graves at Bomana War Cemetery at Port Moresby after they have finished walking the Track.
Kokoda Trek 2011 Information Session
Council will host an information session on Friday 4 March at the Nowra Youth Centre for all people who are interested in being a youth trekker or becoming a mentor during the trek.
What: Shoalhaven Kokoda Youth Experience 2011 project information session, providing background material on training, fundraising, leadership activities, and the Trek.
Where: Information session in the Nowra Youth Centre, Kinghorne Street, Nowra
When: Friday 4 March from 6pm to 8pm.
To participate people will need to RSVP to Council’s Youth Development Officer Donna Corbyn on (02) 4429 3418, or via email to corbynd@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au prior to 25 February.
Closing date for applications to be part of the Kokoda Experience 2011 is 21 March.
CONTACT: Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green (02) 4429 3251 0423 881 873