WILL Burns is right where he wants to be.
Born and raised in Swan Hill, he attended St Mary’s Primary School and later St Mary MacKillop College.
With parents Allison and Mark, and siblings Anna and Max, he has fond memories of his childhood spent with extended family, friends and footy mates.
Blasting his way through the ranks of Swan Hill Football Netball Club from the age of 11, Will still tries to get a kick as often as he can with his beloved Swans.
When it came to choosing a career, Will had his mind set on exercise science or physiotherapy, but a chance coaching session opened his eyes to a new opportunity.
“In Year 10, I did a career-coaching session with Kane Sparks at Youth Inc,” he said.
“From that, I decided community work, particularly working with young people, was something I was also interested in.
“I took a gap year after finishing Year 12 and then decided to go ahead with exercise science at La Trobe University.”
For Will, living away from home had its challenges.
Living on campus four days per week, he would race home on Friday to work at the Swan Hill hospital in a range of roles including allied health, community rehabilitation and headspace.
After completing his second year of studies, he decided to exit La Trobe and returned to Swan Hill in 2019 with a diploma of health in hand.
“I applied for a case-management role with Swan Hill Rural City Council’s empowerment program and was unsuccessful, but about a month later the youth support officer role came up at Youth Inc,” Will said.
“It seemed like it was meant to be because Kane Sparks became my boss and mentor and I’d always looked up to him, so I was excited about the role.”
In his four years in the job, Will has worked with thousands of Swan Hill and Robinvale youth aged 12 to 25.
One of his biggest achievements was the youth strategic planning that the council carries out every five years.
“The strategy is devised by consulting young people to hear what they believe the biggest issues are for youth across the region,” Will said.
“An important part of my role is to ensure we keep giving young people a platform to voice their opinions and to ensure they are heard.
“As a result, we consulted with 711 young people in our local government area and the outcomes of that drove our goals for the next five years.
“Any change that takes place must be driven by the people it will affect most and incorporate a diverse range of voices across all aspects of our community.”
One of the initiatives was the NOVO Youth Council, where young people drive ideas for social events and campaigns that raise awareness of both the achievements and issues faced by young people.
The consultation also identified body image, mental health (both for themselves and other people) and pressures around schooling as main concerns.
Collaborating with Youth Affairs Council Victoria Rural (YacVic Rural), Will worked on the Sexy and Safe program.
After it was identified there was a shortage of males working in that space, Will was trained to facilitate programs about sexual reproduction, consent and healthy relationships.
He was recognised for his work in this area by receiving the Young Person Making a Difference Award presented by YacVic Rural.
He also supports the Sexuality and Gender Alliance.
Now Will is back in his home town he has no plans to leave and enjoys a simple life with his dog Scout.
He has set roots by purchasing his first home and is looking to provide stability to the youth he services.
“I came back home looking for the comfortability of being close to family and friends and having that ongoing support,” he said.
“I like quieter places where you know your community.
“The community services sector can be a bit unstable with staff often changing roles or agencies.
“Programs often come and go depending on funding, and I’d like to offer young people a sense of structure and stability.
“So, I am very settled here, I have no plans to go anywhere else.”
Last year, his mentor resigned from the Youth Inc co-ordinator position and Will successfully applied for the role.
With the leadership role comes more responsibility and work ahead.
“The strategic plan is due to be conducted again soon and we’ll be taking our direction from the results of that consultation,” Will said.
“We’re also looking at the need for a social group for boys to explore emotions with a chance to share their own narratives of where they come from.
“The goal would be to develop their own potential to become a mentor to other boys down the track.
“A bit like my journey really, I feel Kane mentored me to step up into his shoes when the time was right.”
