Girls on Fire is super excited to announce we will be heading to Tamworth for Reconciliation Week 2022! Situated in the Northern Tablelands, Tamworth is a city centre that powers the region. The City of Electric Lights is known as the home of Australian country music. And it is also home to Kamilaroi (Gomeroi) people as the traditional custodians of the land.
We’re stoked to be heading out with the support of National Australia Bank to run a 2.5-day Girls Fire & Resilience Program, from the 3rd to the 5th of June at Trelawney Station, Somerton (Just outside Tamworth).
The day camp is open to female participants (aged 15-19). Curious?
Within this two and a half days of Girls on Fire camp, girls will experience what it’s like to be a frontline firefighter and volunteer in a disaster situation.
Our camps focus on practical experience and skills such as using the fire hose, the elements of the truck and more. There’s exposure to equipment that can help in disaster and accidental situations. At a Girls on Fire camp, you can experience all kinds of frontline work.
For example, we’ve done live demos of the jaws of life in a car accident simulation. We’ve seen abseiling with the SES. We’ve deep dived into how the Rural Fire Service coordinate their efforts across volunteers, large regions and more.
Each camp is tailored to match the region while also introducing a strong building block of skills.
And there’s always a strong focus on resilience, teamwork, problem-solving and confidence. All skills that help open a world of opportunities for all kinds of girls.
The mission of Girls on Fire is to create a strong and diverse approach to frontline participation in firefighting. We have a secondary focus on inspiring communities to prepare against, manage, and recover from disasters.
Involving all the community and bringing diversity to the fore is a huge part of that. Especially seeing Indigenous culture in Australia is such a vital part of prevention, preparation and recovery in natural disasters. This ancient and naturally community-orientated community has taught us so much about reading the weather patterns, how to deal with fire, and come together to look after each other. From applying astronomy through to reading the bush for signs, The First Nations People are one of the most intelligent firefighting experts in the world.
National Reconciliation Week 2022’s theme is “Be Brave. Make Change.”
“(And it) is a challenge to all Australians— individuals, families, communities, organisations and government—to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.”
We’ve certainly found a twin flame with the theme and want to do whatever we can to show all girls in Tamworth how powerful reconciliation can be. When we work together to for common goals and to help our towns when they need it the most, we have the opportunity to create a connected and inclusive community.
For so long, the amazing skills that the First Nations People in fire prevention, disaster awareness and action, and day-to-day aspects of environmental management have educated, informed and shaped frontline services in this country. The connection to country and to family, friends and community within Indigenous Australia is something everyone can benefit from learning.
Girls on Fire wants the girls of today living in the Northwest Slopes and Plains to be a huge part of the fire service and volunteer networks what work so tirelessly to help communities when disaster strikes. And we hope that begins with being in Tamworth, holding a camp, and igniting that spark within the girls of the region.
If you are a girl aged 15 to 19 living in the Northwest Slopes and Plains, we would love to see you apply for our Tamworth fire camp.
We welcome teens living outside the Tamworth area that would love to participate as well. As long as you can safely travel to Trelawney Station, Somerton (Just outside Tamworth) and stay for the camp duration from the 3rd to the 5th June, you are welcome to apply.
To find out more about the application process, head to our cultural inclusion camps page. Or to apply please fill in our participant form.
Parents and guardians, please head to our cultural inclusion program page for more details.
Welcome to the Where are they now? Survey. A survey designed to see what you’ve been up to since your last Girls on Fire program.
The Girls on Fire team are humbled and grateful for all the recent coverage from our first ever Victorian Fire and Resilience Program. Here is a snippet of the great coverage we received...
Girls on Fire will put a spark in the hearts of girls in Ballarat Victoria. As we switch from the land of the long white cloud in Rotorua New Zealand to the bent elbow or resting place of country Victoria, we reflect on why we get up in the morning to do what we do. And why we want every girl out there to consider joining us for a day (or in Ballarat’s case, two!) to experience Girls on Fire.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live. Girls on Fire pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.
