Connecting rural youth with the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the All Roads to the Royal program has been launched this week.
Fully supported by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), the four-day program will give one lucky school an all expenses paid trip, with behind the scenes access to areas of the show.
Designed by the RAS Youth Group, that is comprised of 12 enthusiastic delegates aged 18 to 35 from across NSW, the program was created to improve access to the Sydney Royal Easter Show for rural and remote high school students.
Doctor at the Wagga Base Hospital and RAS Youth Group member Joe Murphy, Bribbarree, said the program allows students in years nine to 12 to travel to and attend the show, gaining experiences and opening up opportunties along the way.
“It is aimed at engaging rural and remote schools with the RAS, local shows and industry leaders,” Dr Murphy said.
“They will meet with the RAS show girls, rural achievers and youth group, and have the opportunity to ask questions and look into the world-class competitions that are showcased at the event.
“It will allow them to make connections for future employment, work experience and education, while also linking them to areas they may not have considered as a possible career.”
Students, along with some teachers, will be collected from their school and will be transported to the show via bus.
They will kick-off their four-day adventure on Monday April 15 before finishing up on Thursday April 18.
RAS Youth Group member Tobie Payne, Wagga originally from Parkes, said up to 40 students from the school will be able to attend, with the RAS funding the entire program.
“It will allow students to see all areas and commodities on show, including the sheep, horses, cattle, poultry, woodchop and district displays, as well as the emergency services and announcers that work behind the scenes to make much of the show possible,” Mr Payne said.
“They will also spend time at the Ag Bag stall, Big Bush BBQ, and at lunches and dinners with RAS officials.”
Targetted at students that are starting to decide where to head after high school, the RAS Youth Group hopes to inspire people to be interested and involved in agriculture.
The program hopes to trigger local show involvement, to help ensure the future of many country shows continues for many years to come.
“We hope it triggers a want to be involved, whether it be in their local communities or shows,” Mr Payne said.
“If one person goes back and joins their local show society, that will be a big win for us.”
The RAS currently supports the youth within agriculture through various scholarship opportunities, including the RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships and RAS Foundation Community Futures Grant, and the Rural Achiever and Show Girl programs.
“This is the next step for the RAS to create opportunities out of Sydney by linking rural and remote schools with education and opportunities for leadership, future aspirations and possible job prospects,” Dr Murphy said.
“These schools may be geographically challenged and therefore may not know about or be able to
Mr Payne and Dr Murphy said schools do not have to have an agricultural program to be eligible.
The All Roads to the Royal program also will be a legacy left behind by the current RAS Youth Group who have brought this idea to life in a matter of months.
“There is scope to expand in the future, but it is not cheap and logistically and geographically can be difficult,” they said.
Applications are now open but will be closing February 15 to allow the winning school to be announced by the end of the month.
For more information visit rasnsw.com.au
