Indigenous students get hands dirty at Titans workshops

by NRL

Titans 4 Tomorrow ambassadors Preston Campbell, Clinton Toopi and Dean Widders today got their hands dirty with a group of indigenous students at the GCIT (Gold Coast Institute of TAFE).

Teenagers from the remote indigenous communities of Doomadgee, Mornington Island and Cherbourg today kicked off a two-day Titans Achievement Program (TAP) workshop as part of activities surrounding Friday night's Learn Earn Legend! round against the North Queensland Cowboys.

Titans 4 Tomorrow have been delivering indigenous education and employment programs in the Learn Earn Legend! initiative since 2010 while the Cowboys joined the program in 2011.

Today's main workshop was run in a style similar to "The Block" where students developed new skills in construction, landscaping and horticulture. An additional group spent time developing skills in hair and beauty techniques to benefit their own personal presentation but also act as potential career paths.

Former Titans fullback Campbell has spent time in the remote communities where participants at today's workshops came from since he hung up the boots at the end of last season.

He said today's workshops were a great way for the kids to get their hands dirty and learn something new and useful to take back to their communities.

"It's a program that is very important to me. Having been up to the communities I can see the kids are different while they are here. It's great to see them be active, but be happy while they're doing it," said Campbell.

Campbell, Toopi and Widders worked alongside the youths, aged from 16-20, to complete a large wooden bench seat, with the aboriginal flag painted on it.

Titans 4 Tomorrow hope the participants can take the skills they have learned at the workshops home to their communities and lead other young people in improving themselves and others.

The workshops will continue tomorrow before the group attends the Titans vs Cowboys clash at Skilled Park tomorrow night.

To date, Titans 4 Tomorrow has assisted approximately 400 Indigenous school leavers make the transition from high school into employment or further education.

Program graduates are now in career pathways as far away as London and outback Australia, in diverse industries such as law, trades, medicine, community services, journalism and IT.

Ten graduates are also employed by the Gold Coast Titans in traineeships across all departments whilst studying at GCIT (Gold Coast Institute of TAFE), following the twenty who were employed in 2011.

In 2012 the Titans are supporting another 250 year 12 students through their final year of school and assisting them with their career choices for 2013.

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