Inspirational speakers for NAIDOC Week

Singer Jessica Mauboy and youth mentoring advocate Jack Manning Bancroft are among the young indigenous leaders who will help celebrate NAIDOC Week at The University of Queensland.

Along with business leaders and other high-achieving celebrities, the pair will share their stories of success with indigenous high school students at Australia’s first tertiary-level leadership camp, hosted by Master of Business Administration students from the UQ Business School, from July 1-3.

The camp is being run in conjunction with Yalari, an organisation that provides scholarships for indigenous children to attend some of the nation’s highest-achieving boarding schools.

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The name stems from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Observance Committee.

The Yalari Horizons leadership camp at UQ will give Year 10, 11 and 12 indigenous students from across Australia the opportunity to explore tertiary education opportunities.

Events will be held both at UQ St Lucia and at the UQ Business School Downtown (in the city). Students will hear from seven speakers, each with their own story of success.

Ms Mauboy, 21, shot to stardom after appearing on Australian Idol in 2006. With seven top 15 singles and two top 10 albums since, she has become the highest-selling female contestant from the show.

Mr Manning Bancroft, 24, is chief executive of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience and was NSW Young Australian of the Year in 2010.

Other speakers include:

• Michael Coombs, the founder and chief executive of the Career Trackers Indigenous Internship Program
• Karni Liddell – Paralympic swimmer, ambassador and presenter
• Neil Wilmett – founder and managing director, Wilmett Consultants
• Natalie Walker, chief executive, Australian Indigenous Minority Supplier Council
• Mark Yettica-Paulson, founder and director, the Yettica Group

Team members from the Gold Coast Titans and the Queensland Reds also may visit the camp to talk to students during the weekend, as their games schedules permit.

A UQ spokesperson said the camp aimed to give indigenous students a taste of university life and demonstrate the benefits of tertiary education.

“Yalari Horizons was designed to encourage students to consider their opportunities beyond high school, and to also highlight the benefits of the business disciplines.” 

The three-day program developed by the MBA team includes career planning, activities to encourage team building and the application of students' own skills to foster a sense of giving back to the community.

The event forms part of the Business School’s MBA Social Economic Engagement program, which encourages students to participate in community organisations.

Meanwhile, UQ’s School of Medicine will mark NAIDOC Week with an event called Indigenous Health – Realising the Dream, on Saturday, July 2, at the Abel Smith Lecture Theatre at the St Lucia campus.

The event, from 11.45am to 5pm, will include entertainment, a keynote address from UQ Pro-Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Education) Professor Cindy Shannon, and a student discussion panel.

Media are welcome to attend all NAIDOC Week events at UQ
Contacts: Dani Burke, UQ Business School, ph 07 3346 8046; Ken Gideon, UQ School of Medicine, ph 3346 4744; Fiona Cameron, UQ Communications, ph 07 3346 7086