Twelve-year-old Sunny normally spends her days in the classroom. But earlier this year, she traded her textbooks for a fire hose, joining 52 kids to take part in a Girls on Fire resilience camp.
Girls on Fire, which is led by NSW Station Officer Bronnie Mackintosh, runs programs to empower young girls and gender diverse kids through education, mentorship and skill-building programs.
During the camps, Girls on Fire facilitators take participants through hands-on practical rotations to help them build resilience and show them what leadership under pressure looks like.
The youngsters (or young women) experience the physical demands of firefighting, and simulations of sensory deprivation, when they’re taught how to extinguish fires, rescue someone from a wrecked car and how to conduct search and rescue operations.
For Sunny, the one-day program in Melbourne opened her eyes to what she could achieve.
“Being at a Girls on Fire camp made me feel powerful,” Sunny said.
“It showed me that girls can do anything, and that my greatest strength is my ability to stay calm in stressful situations.
“It’s given me the confidence to step forward and be a leader in my community.”
Watch more of what Sunny and her fellow trainees learned at the Girls on Fire program below.
Girls on fire camp
Girls on Fire, which is led by NSW Station Officer Bronnie Mackintosh, runs programs to empower young girls and gender diverse kids through education, mentorship and skill-building programs.
Backed by NAB Foundation
NAB’s involvement with Girls on Fire began in 2021 when it was awarded a NAB Foundation Community Grant. A new three-year partnership with the NAB Foundation has recently been signed.
Bronnie Mackintosh says NAB Foundation’s ongoing support will help Girls on Fire roll out more programs nationally to reach more young people and train the next generation of firefighters.
“To solve a diversity of problems we need a diversity of skills and capabilities. We all have something to offer and we need all kinds of people to step up and help our communities be ready for disasters. The emergency management sector also needs to reflect the diverse community it serves.
“We want to empower young people to become leaders in their communities, and the Girls on Fire programs are a great way to do this, while also building the resilience of communities,” Ms Mackintosh said.
- Notes
NAB Foundation’s partnership with Girls on Fire has been nominated for the Women in Banking & Finance award for best ESG initiative. - To learn more about Girls on Fire and get involved in upcoming programs visit their website. More information about NAB Foundation Community Grants is available on the NAB website.
