The young follow in the footsteps of the old, foreboding the future and the past’s allure to succumb to old habits which die hard.

My name is Niamh Zillfleisch and I live in a rural town in Far North Queensland, with just a mere 100km to travel to our largest town – Cairns. Growing up in a rural community truly changes your perspective on leadership and the strength shown by the younger generation. Attending a primary school with only 25 students taught me, at the ripe age of 10, that I wanted to make a difference – and what better way to do it than leadership?

The core values taught at a young age shape the moral compass of everyone in any rural community. The building blocks starting at “No hat, no play”, we learnt to share or bring extra for those who needed it. We learnt what our community needed and how best we could help. Fundraising small amounts to bring pet food to our local shelter, walking the shelter animals, school-based events such as helping out our local RSL (Returned and Services League of Australia) at a luncheon or fundraising for the Cancer Council showed us what true leadership was within our small community, learning from the older generation. We might have been young, but those core values remain the same. Not everyone can stand up or volunteer for what’s right or better shape their community, so whoever can, should. It’s gotten to a stage in our millennium that the old now rely on the new, but we know, young people can and do make a difference.

Now let’s establish what a rural community is; “an area outside one of Australia’s major cities”. So, what can we do as young people to genuinely make a difference for those around us? Having the confidence to speak your mind isn’t the easiest, particularly if your rural town has a completely different mindset to yours. A young leader, who knows what they want and can envision the future of a rural community that further pushes the boundaries and limits there is, is a dedicated person. There is no set criterion to be a young leader, passion and ambitions makes or breaks the very idea of a leader – regardless of age.

So how on Earth can young people make stronger communities? One word. Perspective. Life moves extraordinarily fast – too fast for some! Each generation tackles a new challenge, reaching for greater heights and far larger scopes than done before. Starting small can really get the ball moving into larger projects, defining projects that have never even been thought of! Being young allows for larger commitment and broader ideas that can be accomplished over time. We as young people can represent, engage with the community, change century-old policies, represent cultures and engage like-minded young people to follow in the footsteps of those before us. A rural start is truly a great start towards leadership.