Thank you for taking the time to apply for National Leadership Camp. Your application will now be reviewed by the Burn Bright team.
Within 7 days of submitting your application, you will be notified of an outcome via your supplied email address.
If there is anything you need at this stage, please get in touch with our team via the below channels and we will be here to assist you.
nlc@burnbright.org.au or 02 8070 9217
VALUES. SERVICE. GRIT. VISION.
Values, service, grit and vision are the foundation to an authentic leader. Each day at National Leadership Camp is framed with a theme per day to dive deep into how we can lead ourselves and lead others. To help us explore the particular theme of the day, the program (see below) is written to enhance, excite and challenge students understanding. We operate through an experience based program where young people who attend National Leadership Camp can not only hear great ideas but are able to put them into action in a safe and fun environment.
THE PROGRAM
Our program is based on over 16 years of experience running National Leadership Camp. The program is jam-packed and designed to make the most of the 4 days we have together. Throughout the 4 days, students are broken into small groups of approximately 10 other students. This small group is lead by 3 adult mentors who are specifically chosen by Burn Bright. The program is designed to have a variety of elements to create a holistic experience for everyone who attends. Each day, students participate in small group discussions, large teamwork based group challenges, listen to inspiring speakers from around Australia and New Zealand and are challenged and encouraged to think about what leadership means for them.
OUR SPEAKERS
Every year National Leadership Camp hosts a range of Australian leaders from different spheres and walks of life. We invite people who share their story and their learnings from their time as a leader and who bring immense experience and wisdom to the National Leadership Camp Delegates. Past speakers have included Robyn Moore, Lifeguard Maxi, Hannah Darlington, Nathan Strempel, Matt De Groot, Lisa Griffiths, Pip Russell, Matt Purcell, Nathan Hulls, David Koch, Barnaby Howarth, Mike Baird and more! There are lots of surprises in store for next camp! Watch this space.
OUR MENTORS
Our fabulous and amazing team are the people who bring National Leadership Camp to life! We are lucky to have volunteers who come from all parts of Australia and New Zealand. These people give up their time because they understand and know the impact the National Leadership Camp has on young people. Our camps have such an inspiring effect and relevance, that many students decide to return to Burn Bright post their secondary schooling to ‘pay back’ and become Mentors to the next generation of leaders.
I HAVE FOUND THIS EXPERIENCE CHALLENGING YET HIGHLY REWARDING. I AM THANKFUL TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF EVERY SECOND OF THIS AND I FEEL THAT MY LIFE HAS BEEN CHANGED FOR THE BETTER
If you are 15-18 and want to attend National Leadership Camp this year, let us know by filling out the form here.
When you fill it out, we’ll get the ball rolling on finding a way to get you to camp and that starts by reaching out to your parent or guardian whose details you put down.
National Leadership Camp fosters an increase in positive emotion, more desire engage in passions and hobbies, higher recognition of fulfilling relationships, stronger connection to a sense “life purpose” plus a higher opinion of one’s own accomplishments.
This data is collected by an independent organisation, Assessing Wellbeing In Education (AWE). This data is collected through a pre, and post program survey, completed by students who attend the program. AWE uses a collection of validated psychometric scales to assess individuals subjective wellbeing: experiences, feelings, functioning, and perceptions of how their lives are going.
WOW OUR SON CAME BACK FROM CAMP AN EVEN MORE DRIVEN TEEN THEN WHAT HE WAS BEFORE. HE LOVED EVERY MINUTE AND SAID IT CHANGED HIS LIFE. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR DOING AN AMAZING JOB AND RUNNING THIS LEADERSHIP CAMP FOR THIS AGE GROUP. IT SOUNDED SO AMAZING, I WANT TO COME!!! HE HAS DEFINITELY PUT IN PLACE LOTS OF IDEAS AND VISIONS FOR WHAT HE WANTS TO ACHIEVE AND WE BOTH KNOW HE WILL KICK HIS GOALS. HE HAS THE WORLD AT HIS FEET AND WE KNOW HE WILL GO OUT AND WORK HARD FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES IN. THANK YOU AND KEEP UP THE INCREDIBLE INSPIRING WORK.
I found Burn Bright in the midst of studying civil engineering at the University of Wollongong, just as I wanted a richer, deeper, more full experience of life.
Through Burn Bright, I have met many students and volunteers who are all seeking to find their place in the world. When we come together at NLC or SLC, no matter our age, we begin on the same page, of wanting to do good for ourselves, our community, and the world. And then we are thrown into a program that brings us closer to each other, our purpose, and how to bring forth this impact. It’s like having your cake and eating it too.
Volunteering with Burn Bright stoked a fire in me – It helped me feel comfortable in myself and made me realise life isn’t just about work, study, or productivity, but our relationships and how we connect with others along the way.
I have learned skills in videography, worked for a top-tier corporation in marketing, and most recently published a book called “18 and lost? So were we”
I have a passion for storytelling, bring loads of energy wherever I go, and am dedicated to helping young people move through the initiation of leaving high school and going into the ‘real world’.
The best part for me is being able to stay connected to the latest generation growing through high school. To see them grow, expand and express more of themselves is like watching an artwork paint itself. It’s magic.
I am Simon Thurston, a Kiwi based in Perth. I work as an Instructional Designer and in my spare time I enjoy reading, running, and board games.
Since my initial connection to Burn Bright I have been onboard with their mission. Burn Bright’s focus on building the capabilities enables students of all ages to see how they can shape their world through connections with others and their own self discovery.
Seeing others grow, learn, and open up is what keeps me coming back, to help others realise their potential and how they can influence their future and their community is a definite highlight. It’s infectious, the atmosphere when they run a program or camp is welcoming, exciting, emotional, and rewarding all in one.
Hi, friends! I’m Kelsie, a psychologist from central QLD working in private practice. I got involved with Burn Bright officially in 2016, but the journey started long before that. I attended the National Leadership Camp (now hosted annually by Burn Bright) in 2009. It had such a profound impact on me that I returned as a mentor and volunteer. Those connections ultimately lead me to joining the Burn Bright team as an adult.
When I transitioned from facilitating with the Burn Bright team to working as a psychologist, I was so grateful for an incredible foundation of skills (particularly facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills) along with a strong grounding in positive psychology that Burn Bright integrates into their ethos.
I can’t imagine my life without volunteering for Burn Bright. I have met some of my dearest friends through the Burn Bright crew. I’ve found that volunteering for BB is rewarding, humbling, and often brings as much personal growth for the volunteer as it does for the young person.
From a professional perspective, I love that Burn Bright programs/camps support the adolescent individuation process by providing an exciting and supportive environment for teens to explore their own sense of self, personality, identify and values alongside other young people.
Imagine this POV: you’re back at school wanting to figure everything out and fit in – and you find
yourself in a room with amazing music that uplifts you and hooks you in. You meet the team of
dynamic, interesting, caring facilitators whose own friendships inspire you. Their facilitation skills bring about amazing light-bulb moments and lessons that light a fire inside you… It makes me want to feel that for myself again. The next best thing, for me, is volunteering for the team who passes that on to other young people.
My start at Burn Bright is one of the best cases of one door closing and another door opening. After losing my job at a local pub while on uni holidays, I started looking for new opportunities that were different and decided to volunteer. Searching for opportunities, I found working bees, community driving and nursing home visits, but the chance to become a National Leadership Camp intern stood out. Over nearly six months, I worked with the team to pull off Burn Bright’s first National Leadership Camp, and had an absolute blast in the process. After camp, I started working for Burn Bright while studying, doing anything and everything — data analysis, hiring strategy and even picking up furniture.
Finishing up working for Burn Bright in 2019, I am still actively involved with the Burn Bright volunteer community. I’ve found that the emphasis placed on investing in your relationships, understanding your values and making an impact allow you to be accepted for you. This has given me the tools needed to make the difficult decisions that life will inevitably throw at you. Besides all that, I’ve had a ton of fun and formed life-long friendships with people I may have never crossed paths with otherwise. “Get involved — you’ll change your life for the better and make life‑long friends in the process”.
I am a health science student from Perth wanting to get into the mental health realm of occupational therapy. In the meantime, I work as a barista and supervisor at a beachside café. In my spare time, I love to play netball, be around my friends and I have just gotten into crocheting. I went to Perth College where I was lucky enough to go to the first Perth College Leadership Camp in 2018 as a student and absolutely loved it. What really drew me in was the atmosphere that was created, the open conversations, and the lasting relationships formed.
Since then I have been a mentor for the Perth College Leadership Camp in 2019, 2020, and 2021 and had the opportunity to go to the National Leadership Camp in 2019. When Burn Bright comes to Perth I also love helping out at their programs as much as I can.
Volunteering for Burn Bright has given me so much that I could never have imagined. I have learned so much about myself and I have so much more confidence in myself and my abilities that I know I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t exposed to the amazing opportunities volunteering for Burn Bright has given me. Before being involved I would never have seen myself being a mentor, role model, and facilitator to students, but now I can confidently say that I am, and I have made an impact on others that I am proud of. I have also made so many meaningful connections to so many amazing people from all around Australia through Burn Bright. I get asked quite a bit why I keep coming back to my old school to volunteer and it’s simply because I was given this amazing opportunity to be a part of the Burn Bright programs and if I can help facilitate that experience to someone else then why wouldn’t I?
I was born in Perth and moved to Sydney in my early 20’s to continue work as a youth worker and surfboard maker. This was followed by 30 years working in IT as a computer programmer.
Following retirement in 2016 I searched for an organisation that was aligned with my values of servant leadership and service, especially in the youth space. This search led to Burn Bright where I am now volunteering one day a week and mentoring at the National Leadership Camp. Volunteering with Burn Bright gives me a great deal of hope and confidence in the next generation of leaders. It is a pleasure to be a part of the Burn Bright family.
I have been married to Denise for 41 years and we both very much feel part of the Burn Bright team.
When not at Burn Bright you may find me running along Manly beach, riding my mountain bike or indulging in my passion for photography.
Hi! I’m Rosie, a 20-something full-time public servant, part-time Tassie tourism advocate.
I am passionate about seeing young people succeed, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching them become the next generation of change-makers.
I have been a champion of the ethos and work of Burn Bright since its inception in 2014, and consider them to be the leading experts in their field. By delivering impactful leadership and wellbeing programs to students across Australia, they offer the knowledge, skills and engagement to invoke lasting positive change in school communities.
The Burn Bright team are dedicated, inclusive and values-driven, which is why I love working with them.
