The many difficulties faced by rural communities have been greatly intensified by the pandemic, and now more than ever, rural towns require the positivity and adaptability of young, diverse leaders to strengthen their communities. As a young person who has grown up in a rural community, I know firsthand the challenges faced by young people in remote and rural towns. We have limited access to opportunities to pursue different pathways and the isolation of living remotely can negatively impact mental health and well-being. Young leaders strengthen their communities by seeking opportunities to create change and fulfil a need within their towns.

Young people of different backgrounds bring together a vast range of experiences and can apply these qualities to solve complex and contemporary problems. Country towns need young leaders as they are inclusive of different cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, and thus have the opportunity to consider a wide variety of perspectives and employ the wisdom that comes from a broad range of different life experiences. Diversity amongst young leaders brings the possibility of different and varied solutions to a common goal.

Emma Sullings is one such example of a young leader’s willingness to consider innovative solutions to multifaceted problems. Her experiences in growing up in a rural town and witnessing racism and prejudice in her community motivated her to challenge the inequities experienced by Indigenous communities in remote Australia. Whilst teaching within a remote Indigenous community she saw how women often went without hygiene items in order to put food on the tables for their families. She used her creativity and leadership skills to help her underprivileged young students create ‘Happy Boxes’ for the women in their lives. After identifying a need in her community, and an opportunity to meet that need, she took a risk and founded the Happy Boxes Project, a charity dedicated to empowering Indigenous women by providing them with donated items (Happy Boxes Project, n.d.). Her charity has significantly improved the well-being of women in remote communities, reducing the impacts of living remotely and providing opportunities for others within the community to support those in need.

Her team consists of young leaders from varying backgrounds, which demonstrates how when diverse young leaders hold strong visions for the future of their communities, there is nothing stopping them from combining their skills to make a difference. Emma chose to surround herself and her charity with people of different cultural backgrounds so she could best support remote communities in improving their outlooks for the future. The Happy Boxes project also emphasises the importance of solving the problems faced by rural and remote communities, instead of encouraging people to move away from their home and their culture. This ensures that future generations of rural people stay within their communities, and continue to help them flourish.

Diversity within our young leaders, as within the Happy Boxes Project, brings the capacity for collaboration within communities, which in turn provides the opportunity for improving country access to different opportunities and reduces the effects of isolation. The success of the Happy Boxes Project is evidence of how young people are open to taking risks and can collaborate with a diverse range of other young leaders seeking to create change and have a positive impact within their community. Young people in rural Australia are motivated by the need to forge new paths that are unprejudiced and welcoming to all. Diverse young leaders hold the key to the future of strong rural communities.

Sources
Reference list Happy Boxes Project (n.d.). Our Why. [online] Happy Boxes Project. Available at: https://happyboxesproject.com/our-vision [Accessed 15 Sep. 2023].

Happy Boxes Project (n.d.). Who We Are. [online] Happy Boxes Project. Available at: https://happyboxesproject.com/who-we-are [Accessed 15 Sep. 2023].