Inspiring Future Leaders is a free 12-week program run by Loreto Community Housing in southern Tasmania. The program supports participants to build skills, confidence, and community impact.
What can you expect?
- Learn from guest speakers with specialised knowledge.
- Field trips to learn from other community led change projects.
- Build community networks – with other participants & local services.
- Learn to develop a project plan and present your ideas.
- Be supported to obtain your First Aid certificate & Working with Vulnerable People card.
- Be considered for seed funding to bring your community project to life.
- You can apply via the link below of visit one of our offices for a hard copy (31 High Street, New Norfolk OR 2/28 Greenpoint Rd. Bridgewater)
*Please note this program is for people aged 18+
Do you have a great idea for your community?
The Inspiring Future Leaders Program is a free 12-week leadership program.
- Recognise your leadership potential.
- Feel empowered and gain more confidence.
- Develop skills in project planning and delivery with support and seed funding opportunities.
- Meet new people in your local community.
Where do we run?
We run our Inspiring Future Leaders program in four municipalities across the year.
When applying, pick which area/s are best suited to you. You can find the ‘Apply Now’ button at the top of this page.
In 2025, we will run programs in the Derwent Valley and Clarence Plains from February to June. We will run programs in Glenorchy and Brighton from July to November.
Case Studies
Meet Kathy
An avid gardener, Kathy loved sharing seeds from her garden with friends and family. This simple idea has bloomed into a vibrant project that is giving back to her community.
Kathy is a previous participant in Loreto Community Housing’s Inspiring Future Leaders program. She has paired her passion and knowledge of gardening with the skills and support she received in Inspiring Future Leaders to create a thriving seed library.
Food security for those in her local area is at the forefront of this project. Because of this, Seed for a Feed focuses on people growing edible plants such as fruit, vegetables, and some flowers.
“It’s cheaper If you can grow your own food” says Kathy, “especially right now when everything is so expensive”.
Seed for a Feed is a free seed library where both experienced and beginner gardeners can take some seeds to grow at home and, if they are able, add seeds from their garden to the library collection.
Current seeds in the library include tomato, carrot, pumpkin, cucumber, beetroot and other summer favourites. Kathy is hoping that more seeds will be donated with the summer gardening season coming to an end.
You can find Kathy’s Seed for Feed library at the Bridgewater Community House, Botanical Institute, and at the Loreto Community Housing office in Bridgewater.
Kathy’s Seed for a Feed library is just one of many Inspiring Future Leaders projects that are making positive change in local communities.
Inspiring Future Leaders is a capacity building leadership program run by Loreto Community Housing.
The program supports and empowers local community members to recognise their own leadership potential and gain confidence and skills in planning and delivering projects in community.
This free 12-week program also offers the opportunity for participants to receive funding to turn their ideas into reality.
Loreto Community Housing would like to thank the Brighton Tasmania and Surrounds Garden Club for their support of Kathy’s project and the Tasmanian Community Fund for their ongoing support of Inspiring Future Leaders.
Meet Jake
Jake is an Inspiring Future Leaders participant who has launched a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) Club at the Goodwood Community Centre, providing young people aged 9–13 with a safe and fun space to explore something new. The club focuses on helping participants build social skills, fostering creativity, and growing friendships while learning to play D&D.
D&D is a tabletop fantasy role-playing game where players use their imagination to tell a shared story. This collaborative experience is a perfect platform for gaining confidence and social connections.
Jake shares that he has experienced challenges with his mental health and feelings of being lost. He says that D&D helped him find a sense of belonging and purpose. Now, he’s passionate about providing that same sense of community to others.
The inspiration for Jake’s project came from an experience he had while sharing his passion for D&D with a young person at a local school. Initially he ran one-on-one sessions to build their knowledge and confidence. The young person soon invited peers to join, forming Jake’s first D&D group. This experience gave Jake the confidence and drive to expand his program to reach more people in his community.
This led Jake to join Loreto Community Housing’s Inspiring Future Leaders program. During this time, he was able develop his idea into a structured project plan, create a valuable partnership with an auspicing organisation, and gain seed funding to launch his project.
Jake has connected with the Goodwood Community Centre to run the D&D Club. His enthusiasm for the project is shared across this partnership, with centre staff excited to offer a creative and supportive environment for young people.
Since graduating from Inspiring Future Leaders in 2023, Jake has successfully run a 10-week D&D program with a regular attendance of seven students. All participants eagerly await every Monday to continue their journey with Jake.
Jake has since been approached by the Brighton Council to deliver a similar program as part of their school holiday activities. This is a testament to Jake and his ability to engage with young people through the game. From here, Jake hopes to be able to continue expanding his program and to offer this experience to new communities.
Upon reflecting on his time in Loreto Community Housing’s Inspiring Future Leaders program, Jake says that he enjoyed meeting new people, building friendships, and exchanging ideas in a safe space. He says that the program provided a sense of connection and gave him the chance to learn about different leadership styles and his own core values.
When asked if he had any advice for future Inspiring Future Leaders participants, Jake encouraged them to join. He says the program is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn about community initiatives, and discover the strengths the community has to offer. It also provides opportunities to give back and be part of something bigger. Through Inspiring Future Leaders, Jake has gained experiences and opportunities he may not have had otherwise, and he encourages others to take the chance and get involved.
Meet Sarah
In 2024, Sarah became part of the Inspiring Future Leaders Derwent Valley Crew, where she was able to turn her passion for journaling into a community project.
Sarah has used journaling as a creative outlet and to support her mental health for a long time, even creating a beautiful vision journal that has captured her imagination and creative spirit over the years. Inspired by her own journey, Sarah wanted to share this therapeutic activity with others in the community.
With the support of Loreto Community Housing’s Inspiring Future Leaders program, Sarah successfully gained funding to bring her idea to life – a scrapbooking and journaling program for young people in the Derwent Valley.
Partnering with ‘Kids in the Valley’ and PCYC, Sarah developed a seven-week after-school program hosted at the Derwent Valley Community House. The program aimed to encourage creativity and mindfulness through scrapbooking and journaling.
Each week, 10 participants aged 10 to 14 joined Sarah for a new themed session. The themes ranged from recycling and reusing materials to painting, working with flowers, and even incorporating pets into their artwork. The group explored different materials like stickers, natural objects, paint, and photos, making each session unique and engaging.
The final session was a celebration of creativity and connection. With balloons, cake, and gifts, the group marked the completion of the project with party. Reflecting on the program, Sarah said it was "so much fun!" and that she loved sharing her passion for journaling and art with others.
A big thank you goes to ‘Kids in the Valley’ and the Tasmanian Community Fund for providing the support and funding that made this program possible. The project not only nurtured creativity but also fostered a sense of community among the young participants.
