Empowering Youth: Celebrating 2024 and Planning Ahead

On 17 December 2024, the Community Action for a Multicultural Society (CAMS) program at TMSG, in collaboration with other TMSG programs and Headspace Townsville, successfully organised a youth-focused event under the theme celebrating 2024 achievements and welcoming 2025 in an informal and engaging setting.

The event featured two prominent sports influencers, Nya Lok, a Townsville Fire basketball player originally from South Sudan, and Ermaly Bitungane, a professional NRL Cowboys player originally from Burundi, who shared their inspiring personal journeys of resilience and ambition. In addition to their motivational stories, key organisations delivered informative sessions: the Queensland Department of Trade, Employment and Training (DTET) discussed opportunities in traineeships and apprenticeships; Headspace Townsville provided insights into mental health services for youth; and the Red Cross Townsville highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness.

The young attendees actively participated in discussions about their goals for 2025, identifying common challenges such as improving English communication skills.

Special thanks are extended to Lolla from DTET for facilitating the connection with the guest speakers, and to Nya Lok and Ermaly Bitungane for dedicating time during their training breaks to share their powerful stories. Lastly, heartfelt gratitude goes to Etienne (Sango) and Anwar (Swahili) for their exceptional language support, ensuring the audience could fully understand and engage with the presentations and discussions.