As an organisation that focuses on positive psychology and growth mindset, the headline of this article might come as a surprise. We’re so used to hearing or saying “think positive” - how could a negative frame of mind ever be helpful?
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There’s a lot of talk in media, workplaces and society in general about the many ways we can support our wellbeing. But what about a practical, routine activity that you can implement into your life. Well, volunteering is a great activity you can do that is proven to improve your wellbeing and mental health.
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"Courage is a question of perspective, which is fed by our experiences, beliefs, limitations. In 2012, I chose to leave my career in public relations. The typical responses I received when sharing my decision with others were: 'Oh wow, you’re so courageous!' Why did everyone else think I was being so brave?"
What is it about The Helmsman Project programs that sets us apart from the others? What makes our programs unique? For one, it is our considerate combination of challenges. The other aspect that sets us apart is our research.
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"Amongst the latest Covid numbers, climate change updates and all the bad news, it can be pretty hard to pop our head above the surface and get a glimpse of what the future might look like."
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We recently received exciting news that The Helmsman Project has been selected to receive a Community Grant from the Westpac Foundation for 2021.
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It’s been eight years since my first meeting with Andrew (co-founder), and The Helmsman Project has empowered over 1,000 young people to develop fundamental life skills. Many of these young people have had their life trajectory completely turned around. I am proud and humbled to have been part of their journey with our team.
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Supporting young people's mental health and wellbeing has never been more important than now. Do you know a school that needs support in providing wellbeing initiatives to its students?
In order to truly understand the impact of our wellbeing program, we share with you a handful of student responses...
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Financial support from the broader community has never been so critical for not-for-profits. Every donation goes a long way in allowing us to support young people who are experiencing disadvantage and struggling to overcome the many hurdles presented to them in today's world.
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We are very excited to announce the renewed support of Endeavour Energy as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
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We are very excited to announce the renewed support of Danks Trust as funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
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Last week was National Volunteer Week, a time to stop and share a huge thank you to all of our volunteers.
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The student workbook is an essential component of our new program and the graphic design team at our funding partner EG added just the right pizzaz to make it pop...
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After 12 months of design and collaboration, our new program came to life...
Should we focus on highly impactful, intensive interventions delivered to few beneficiaries, or interventions with positive influence (at varying degrees) delivered to many?
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Are you a photographer or videographer? Or both? We're looking for a talented volunteer to help us capture photos and videos of our new Wellbeing and Community Leadership program.
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With great pride we introduce to you our new facilitators. These facilitators will run our new program, set to launch in a matter of weeks.
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This case study provides an overview of the collaborative process our team undertook with partner schools over the last 12 months, and reflections on the hurdles and support we experienced as we embarked on this human-centered design project.
Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement celebrated annually. The day was created to remind and energise all people to give back to community and do good for the world.
Kim reflects on her family as a source of inspiration for creativity and ingenuity. When resources are scarce, the greatest ingenuity and innovations can arise.
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Atlassian Foundation has long supported The Helmsman Project including as a funding partner. Atlassian Foundation shares a commitment in wanting to support young people.
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Belinda Robinson joined our team of professional coaches in 2020. She reflects on her first coaching experience on our programs, and the unique impact Covid-19 had on her experience.
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The Helmsman Project team has been very busy this year working on a human-centred design project in collaboration with high school partners to help us test and evaluate new potential offerings to address key challenges schools face in supporting young people.
At the core of our programs are two fundamental methodologies: experiential learning and reflective process. Using these processes Kim reflects on leadership lessons from COVID.
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We are very excited to welcome Steadfast Foundation as funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
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Our program offers a blend of developmental coaching and adventure education targeted towards young people who are at risk of not realising their full potential.
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In psychology, resilience is the capacity to bounce back from adversity, conflict, and failure or even positive events, progress, and increased responsibility. For our team, resilience is three things: welcome challenges, bounce back and be courageous.
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Kim reflects on how the 'water cooler conversations' and the benefits of those interactions don't exist in a work-from-home environment. The random, unplanned chats can often be one of the ways in which information flows between departments, collaboration ideas spark and organisational culture thrives. So how can we create a ‘water cooler’ effect in a remote working environment?
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Wednesday, 22 July marked seven years of The Helmsman Project delivering life-changing programs to young people. We’ve come a long way since 2013 and while many aspects of our organisation have changed and grown over the years, we are proud to stick by the same mission: to help young people develop the skills and perspective to set goals, overcome setbacks, persevere and thrive.
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Right now, some students are doing it tough. And as we haven't been able to set foot in our partner schools since March, we've developed an initiative to provide our much needed support to those students in need.
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One of our values at The Helmsman Project is self-regulation, which is also a life skill we help our young participants develop and is a critical leadership tool.
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Our CEO Kim Larochelle shares how the value 'hope' helps frame her leadership and management strategies.
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COVID 19 has had and is continuing to have a significant and substantial impact on the education of billions of students around the globe. Schools have been closed and teachers have had to develop remote educational experiences and content, almost overnight, using new and at times unfamiliar online technologies.
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As the reality of self-isolation, social distancing and home schooling sets in, I can’t help myself but to think that some positive - dare I say, great - things will come out of this dire situation.
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Our organisation has been working with young people for nearly seven years, supporting them to maintain a positive wellbeing, and we would like to offer families some of our expert knowledge in this space.
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Three of our groups were fortunate enough to attend a design thinking and team-building workshop hosted by Amazon Web Services Australia.
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As the world faces unprecedented events due to coronavirus, 'business as usual' is disrupted. Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-based leadership technique to engage in meaningful, positive conversations in support of successful change initiatives.
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Innovation has become a positive buzzword in the business world. Everyone wants to innovate. Change, on the other hand, is this confronting state we need to try and 'manage'.
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We are very excited to announce Amazon Web Services Australia as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
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On Tuesday 11 February we launched our first round of programs for 2020 with a community project workshop day.
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On Wednesday 19 November 2019, we hosted an event featuring Dr. Sean O’Connor who spoke on the topic of effective approaches to organisational change. Dr. Sean O’Connor presented an incredible seminar on how to effectively coach people and organisations through change, with a focus on his breakthrough PhD research ‘The Coaching Ripple Effect’.
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As we welcome a new year, Kim gives an overview on how The Helmsman Project is kickstarting 2020.
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The Technical Training Branch at Endeavour Energy conducted a 6-week program with some Year 9 Helmsman students. The program was designed to teach skills to manage risks, build confidence and prepare young people for employment.
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On Wednesday 4 December, The Helmsman Project celebrated 63 young people from schools across Western Sydney completing our program. The Helmsman Project graduation is a highly anticipated event. It gives everyone an opportunity to hear directly from the students the impact the program has had on them.
Read more As we farewell another year, the time is ripe to take stock on where we are...
Read more We are extremely privileged at The Helmsman Project to have a close community of truly remarkable individuals supporting our work. One of these is Dr Sean O’Connor...
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Zena shares her reflection on the impact The Helmsman Project has not only on the participants, but the surrounding community.
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We have received excellent news from our Birrong Girls group who recently held a fundraising event as part of their community project.
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We recently received exciting news that The Helmsman Project has been selected to receive a Community Grant from the Westpac Foundation for 2019.
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The Helmsman Project Youth Board was given the opportunity to run a two-hour workshop with 60 professionals from Macquarie Bank global offices.
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Whether we talk about technology, climate, politics, global demographics, the way we consume or socialise, the rhetoric is the same: change is now the norm. In this reality, some see the opportunities, others are left behind.
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After many weeks of excitement and anticipation our three current groups recently completed their outdoor adventure education component of the program.
Read more In my six years in the not-for-profit sector, I’ve come across really successful examples of corporate foundations engaging their employees in their community objectives. The best of these managed to not only generate a sense of purpose among their employees, but also made a tremendous impact on the charities they supported.
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We are very excited to announce Atlassian Foundation as a funding partner of The Helmsman Project.
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Kim's summary and reflection on attending the community project workshop day for our second wave of programs in 2019.
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The Helmsman Project started as a vision to help young people achieve their potential and make a difference in the world. This vision was brought into being through the passion and dedication of a team of people committed to this idea. Now, six years on, we know our program makes a difference in the lives of our participants not only because that’s what our research tells us, but most importantly, because our graduates tell us it does.
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Monday 22 July marked six years since the launch of our very first Helmsman Project program and we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on our journey.
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Matt Robinson has coached on a number of The Helmsman Project programs since 2016 and has recently joined The Helmsman team. Here's a reflection from Matt on his coaching experiences with young people in Western Sydney.
Read more Kim outlines The Helmsman Project's key focuses underpinning the goals of scale and growth.
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On Friday 21 June, Goodman Foundation hosted their annual bake-off fundraiser in support of The Helmsman Project.
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We are proud to present the completed community project from our Term 1 2019 Cumberland high school boys group.
Read more Kim addresses the challenges faced by charities in Australia, touching on how The Helmsman Project manages these and the important role of strategy.
Bindi Newman volunteered with The Helmsman Project coaching team in 2018, coaching on one of our programs with Strathfield South High School. Here's Bindi's reflection on her experience coaching with us.
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Jemma joined The Helmsman Project for a week of work experience in October 2018. Jemma reflects on the valuable experiences and lessons she gained during her week with us.
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In my first week at The Helmsman Project I was lucky to visit the schools and meet the students enrolled in our programs. One of the highlights of The Helmsman Project’s program is the community projects which students plan and commit to once the program concludes....
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This month, The Helmsman Project turns five - an achievement that would not have been possible without the generosity and commitment of many…
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We are so fortunate at The Helmsman Project to be assisted by dedicated, professional and skilled volunteers. We interviewed Craig King, Senior Graphic Designer at Goodman, who designs collateral on a variety of projects for us, and asked him about why he enjoys working with The Helmsman Project.
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Sean shares his passion for volunteering, his personal drive to give back to community and why he chooses to volunteer with us.
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Justin's life was changed by The Helmsman Project... Make a world of difference before June 30.
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Innovation and growth can only happen when the client's needs or desires are understood. With this thought in mind and in line with our aspiration to continue to impact the lives of our graduates, we recently launched a new and exciting initiative...
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We have recently held our fourth annual charity dinner, presented at The Funding Network’s Macquarie Foundation event and launched our 10th wave of programs. Amongst all this, we have developed, refined and launched a five-year strategy to support The Helmsman Project to grow and prosper into the future...
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Sheena Polese, one of The Helmsman Project's 2017 volunteers of the year, shares with us what she loves about coaching with The Helmsman Project.
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This year is The Helmsman Project’s fifth anniversary and our organisation has seen many changes as it continues to evolve and develop further into new programs and opportunities. We have seen changes in management, staff, and programs, coupled with increased corporate sponsorship. Most importantly, we have witnessed vast changes in our most recent cohort of graduates.
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Coaching Manager Charmaine O'Brien shares her insights on creativity and its links to coaching and The Helmsman Project.
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We are very excited to be launching a brand new opportunity for graduates of our programs: The Helmsman Project youth board.
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Innovation is at the heart of The Helmsman Project. In line with this focus, we recently held a panel discussion on ‘Innovation in the workplace’ featuring three world leaders in technology: Atlassian, Amazon Web Services and Rackspace. It might be surprising to hear that the main topic discussed wasn't technology...
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We are so fortunate at The Helmsman Project to work with a group of dedicated, professional and skilled volunteers. In this blog, we speak to Corinne O’Sullivan, one of our amazing volunteers, on why she loves sharing her time and talent to helping The Helmsman Project.
The Helmsman Project celebrated four years of operations last month, a milestone to which more than 120 volunteers have contributed and which has impacted just over 300 young lives. It has been no small feat - hope, self-regulation and resilience have been essential ingredients to our progress.
Young people who have been affected by disadvantage have had many experiences that required them to develop a range of coping mechanisms, many of which are admirable life skills. However, it is typical for young people in these circumstances to experience lower levels of support, which makes it difficult for them to realise they possess these valuable attributes.
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The Helmsman Project is an innovative blend of developmental coaching and adventure education targeted toward Year 9 students who are at risk of not fulfilling their potential. At its essence, the program seeks to help the students take bigger perspectives on themselves, others and the world. By doing this we help them build hope, self-regulation and resilience.
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For a community like mine, the Helmsman Project provided opportunities for learning and growth that go beyond what we can deliver at school or at home. This wonderful program unearths hidden strengths and talents, which my students will take with them into their adult lives.
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According to some researchers, self-regulation is one of the most important factors for encouraging academic engagement and preventing risky behaviour. While this is a skill that is important in every stage of life, it is particularly important for young people who are making critical decisions about their futures.
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For those who aren’t familiar with the word ‘helmsman’ it can be a little bit of a tongue twister. The ‘helm’ is what steers a ship, usually it’s a wheel. The ‘helmsman’ is the person in charge of steering the ship. He or she guides the rest of the crew to reach their destination.
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As a not-for-profit, The Helmsman Project relies on the generosity of organisations and individuals to make a difference in the lives of young people from communities affected by disadvantage. Every dollar counts so we have come up with a few simple ways you could fundraise for The Helmsman Project.
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What this program allows is for students to explore who they are and practical steps to help them become who they want to be. They have the opportunity to be vulnerable, try new things and grow all in a safe environment.
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"My aunt and uncle have seen a massive change in me since the program and it makes them so happy. They tell me every day that I’m getting better. It means a lot to me and I thank The Helmsman Project for that. The program is a great chance for students to experience a big change in their life.”
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Today, Rashad Nadir is making a difference in our public hospitals working as a nurse while studying part time to get a masters and continue helping his adopted country after fleeing Afghanistan.
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Today Emilio Prince is a picture of strength – arms outstretched firmly on the steering wheel of an American muscle car. You wouldn’t know that six years ago those same arms were desperately outstretched for help.
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Anannya Puri is one of the 147 students at Cumberland High School that participated in our first official Wellbeing and Community Leadership program. Anannya shared a reflection of her experience of The Helmsman Project.
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Youth mental health and wellbeing is a very big issue in Australia. With COVID-19 leading to increased loneliness and joblessness as well as a lack of social engagement, young Australians need now more than ever the right support to manage - and thrive - through life’s challenges. Mariama, Destiny, Lisa, Lyn, Zeenat, Vivian, Tallara, Milly and Kate from Chester Hill High School took in their stride to bring that much needed support to their peers.
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Daliya El Helou is a 2019 graduate of The Helmsman Project and is now a Youth Ambassador of The Helmsman Project. Daliya had no idea the level of impact The Helmsman Project would truly have on her but with her enthusiasm, optimism and diligence, she approached the program with an open mind and as an opportunity to learn essential life skills that will help her personal growth and development.
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In 2014, Dave had the opportunity to be the cohort teacher for The Helmsman Project program at Chester Hill. In 2015, Dave Criniti founded The Run Beyond Project, an experiential program that supports young people as they work towards the accomplishment of a challenging but achievable goal of running a half marathon. Read on to learn about how his participation in The Helmsman Project impacted his new venture...
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Suleiman graduated from The Helmsman Project in 2015 and is now a Youth Ambassador of The Helmsman Project. Suleiman is currently studying a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Wollongong while also working part-time and running a business with a close friend.
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Zena Dabaja has facilitated and supported The Helmsman Project at two schools as part of her roles as Principal. Zena spoke at our 2019 graduation and shared these powerful words about the impact The Helmsman Project has on young people.
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Dr Gordon Spence reflects on his time volunteering with The Helmsman Project
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The Helmsman Project is truly a life-changing program, the positive effects of which have been filtered through the school and local community at Cumberland High School.
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New to Australia, new to coaching and sailing, and new to The Helmsman Project. Rader Antwi was looking to experience something different and break out of her shell - that, is exactly what she got.
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When signing up to participate in The Helmsman Project 2017 program, Adwithiya Puri had no idea the impact the program would truly have on him. Adwithiya shared his story with us describing the program as “A path to a better you”.
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Justin Whiting is one of our 2014 graduates and is a member of our new The Helmsman Project Youth Board. Here is his story about his experience on the sailing adventure...
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When we asked Shania what The Helmsman Project was about, she responded: "The Helmsman Project is about you... You becoming a better person; You changing for the better."
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Emma Roulston was a participant in The Helmsman Project’s Summer 2015 program and “came out of it totally changed”. Her journey is one that inspires us...
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My name is Rashad. In my sixteen years, I have had two life-changing journeys on a boat. The first was when I came out to Australia from Afghanistan. The second was The Helmsman Project.
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What an amazing journey. Arriving here today represents a significant achievement for a number of
people.
The Helmsman Project empowers young people to reach out to their local communities and, through this, to fulfil their own potential.
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