2017 AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award recipient launches her winning idea

2017 AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award national winner Tanya Dupagne has used her bursary to roll out two pilot ladies camps at Kulin, Western Australia. The Aspire Inspire Ladies Camp gave regional women essential life skills such as leadership, communication, trust and confidence.

In 2013, Tanya started Camp Kulin on the Western Australian Wheatbelt. Volunteers work with more than 1,500 Western Australian youth each year and offer a range of activities including camps for children affected by childhood trauma, school excursions and school camps. The program attracted international attention and locals in the community saw many positive changes in the children who attended the camps. Tanya wanted to give others the same experience to grow and develop and so Aspire Inspire was born.

“Aspire Inspire is different to leadership programs targeting high-end executives which generally cost thousands of dollars and are inaccessible or irrelevant to the majority of regional women. This is a subsidised program open to women living in regional, remote or rural areas,” Tanya said.

The pilot program for Aspire Inspire took place in February and was subsidised by AgriFutures Australia and the AgriFutures™ Rural Women’s Award platinum sponsor Westpac.

The participants took part in a number of activities designed to build skills such as team-building, communication and goal setting.

“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. The program helps them to not feel isolated and realise they have the power to make a difference,” Tanya said.

So what’s on the horizon for Tanya and her Aspire Inspire program?

“In May we have decided to run a second ladies camp in conjunction with the Country Women’s Association. After this, we will be looking at a number of options for program expansion including specialist camps and camps in other locations across Australia. This will help us make a positive impact on more women in regional communities,” she said.

To find out how you can get involved in Camp Kulin, either as a volunteer or participant, keep an eye on upcoming camps and visit the Camp Kulin website.