Four years ago, Tanya moved to Kulin in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia to start the Camp Kulin program. She saw it as an opportunity to do something beneficial with the Shire of Kulin’s under-utilised recreational and community resources.
Today, Camp Kulin contributes not only to the wellbeing of young people from regional and metropolitan Western Australia but also to the local economy, with around 1,000 participants and 200 volunteers annually. A natural leader and problem-solver, Tanya has also created a mentoring program to support children at two local high schools, providing mental health support in the absence of a school chaplain.
Tanya’s project idea is to create and run a subsidised ladies camp program to support women from regional Western Australia. The program will help develop essential life skills such as leadership, trust, self-confidence, self-esteem, perseverance and ambition that the women can use in their day to day lives. It will involve an intense three-day camp where ladies can experience all the activities the Camp Kulin program offers. Support groups will be created via social media so participants can keep in touch, with alumni events to be held each year.
The leadership component of the program means participants are equipped to head back to their communities and start making changes and taking on leadership roles. It will help them to not feel isolated and realise they have the power to make a difference.
The already existing Camp Kulin Kids Camps have been recognised as the leading program of its kind in the country. Mothers, and the community generally, have seen so many positive changes in their children, and they would like the chance to have the same experience to grow and develop.
Tanya says “’One person can’t change the world, but they can change the world for one person”. That’s the ethos we adhere to at Camp Kulin. We want to make a difference to regional women one at a time and support them to make a difference to others across regional Western Australia.”