Building leaders in Koroipita

The inaugural Koroipita Youth Program in Fiji empowered teens from disadvantaged backgrounds through leadership, education and community engagement.

Teens aged 14-16 from Fiji’s Koroipita Village attended the inaugural Koroipita Youth Program in May, presented by Rotary South Pacific Public Image Chair Liz McDougall.

Assisting Liz were staff Natasha, Nileshmi, Adi Litia and Sawako from the Model Towns Charitable Trust (MTCT), which oversees the community and is committed to building serviced subdivisions and cyclone-safe houses and providing guidance and support for the advancement of poor families.

Koroipita is located 10 minutes’ drive from Fiji’s second largest city Lautoka. It is a peri-urban subdivision with close to 325 homes accommodating 1,400 residents from impoverished backgrounds.

Liz lived in Fiji in the late 90s and has been associated with Koroipita for 20 years.

“Last year, I learned the children, especially the teens in the village, were facing challenges so I decided to create a program to help,” said Liz.

The aim was to encourage young people to recognise their value and inspire them to nurture their talents, become leaders in their schools and community, and motivate them to maintain their education.

Included in the program were elements on the environment and mental health plus plenty of fun. The group visited the village’s compost and recycling areas and discussed what they could do to assist.

Chris Taylor, Northern Beaches president of the NSW Pickleball Association, had donated two pickleball sets for participants to learn a new activity as part of the program.

“This provided a lot of laughs and expended energy, while giving me a break from presenting!” said Liz.

I am grateful for the support of by the Rotary clubs of Warringah, Beecroft and Kincumber, NSW, Ballarat East, Vic, and Lindisfarne, Tas, whose funding supplied food, t-shirts, materials and thank you bags for the teens.

The t-shirts were printed by a village resident and the food prepared by women in the village, providing them with income.

The inaugural Koroipita Youth Program ‘tested the waters’ and Liz is working with the MTCT team to evaluate elements, see what needs changing or improving and plan for a follow up program in 2026.