WESTERN Bulldogs are expanding their youth leadership development in the region with a unique offering for the outskirts of Ballarat.
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Leaders of the Pack will be specially designed for teenagers across the Pyrenees Shire as an adaptation of the club's youth leadership project rolled out in Ballarat, Ararat and Melbourne's western suburbs.
The aim is to encourage more young people in smaller towns to become more connected to the community.
Western Bulldogs Community Foundation youth development coordinator Maggie Toohey, who hails from Ballarat, said this was different for the club but another way to help young people find their voice and make a difference where they lived.
"Leaders of the Pack will be more personalised given the unique shire accounts for so many different towns all spread out," Ms Toohey said.
"The leadership project was not specific enough for the Pyrenees because a lot of those coming to Ballarat were from Beaufort.
"This is a way for more young people to connect with council and a different idea for what could work best. It will be a hybrid model [a mix of online and in-person sessions] so it's more accessible for young people in rural areas to jump online."
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Pyrenees Shire has already put out the call for applicants wanting a chance to "plan and deliver community projects, build leadership skills and experience, [and] network with other young people and community leaders".
The program is set to kick off next month.
This comes as the Bulldogs' Ballarat youth leadership program is deep in developing social impact projects and working with community experts in a range of areas.
The 10-session, fortnightly program launched in April and participants are on track for graduation in September.
The Bulldogs-led Nallei Jerring Koori youth leadership program in Ballarat is also booming with about 60 participants from secondary schools across the city involved.
Nallei Jerring has also moved into school hours with cultural-based workshops, including a session on marngrook, the First Nations' traditional football game.
Like all Western Bulldogs Community Foundation programs, Nallei Jerring is tailored to community needs, interests and features community experts.
The foundation also leads the holistic Sons and Daughters of the west health programs and Ballarat-exclusive literacy program Bulldogs Read.
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