Brisbane Broncos players and former captain Alex Glenn have taken to the field to empower a group of young men to go from the sidelines to kicking their own career goals and become tomorrow’s leaders.
The NRL superstars helped deliver an inclusive ‘Careers Day’ on Tuesday, April 4, celebrating the highly successful Broncos Multicultural Youth Leadership Program, which provides young men from culturally diverse backgrounds with life and employment skills.
Using sport as a vehicle for engagement, 24 young men (from Logan and Ipswich) met with the Broncos players to gain valuable leadership skills towards a successful career path.
Championed by immediate past captain Alex Glenn, the Leadership Program aims to inspire the young men to set goals and stay motivated to achieve their dreams through a series of workshops.
Sharing his own personal journey to success, moving to Australia and his dedication to achieving his rugby league dream, Glenn said the ‘Careers Day’ gave the young men the opportunity to connect with their role models, develop skills, build resilience and improve their confidence.
“The neighbourhood I grew up in New Zealand was tough and made me appreciate a lot of things I have in my life,” Glenn said.
“I was surrounded by gang violence, drugs and alcohol but that didn’t dictate who I wanted to be when I grew up. If anything, that motivated me to be better.
“The Broncos ‘Careers Day’ is a special celebration of the achievements of these young men, who’ve pulled up their boots, shown determination to put in the hard yards and will now lead by example. The world is their playing field and they all have very bright futures ahead.”
Bellbird Park State Secondary School Community Liaison Officer Wally Ropati said 21 students have jumped on board, receiving first class service and lessons from the NRL great.
“Having Alex Glenn as a facilitator has been awesome, the things that he has taken them through including leadership, resilience and setting goals are all life skills that these kids need and the encouragement that they need to create a better person,” Mr Ropati said.
Broncos General Manager for Community & Government Programs Christine Halliwell said the club was honoured to help deliver this inspiring program to support tomorrow’s young leaders.
“For many of our program’s participants, the Broncos players are an inspiration and the ‘Careers Day’ gives them the motivation to achieve their own dreams,” she said.
“Since the Broncos launched the Multicultural Youth Leadership Program in 2022, we’ve seen an increased drive academically from the young men, they’ve built their confidence and are now empowered to take those next steps in their career journey.”
