Young people from around the Lilydale area were given the opportunity to get a taste of the real estate industry, in an aim to boost their confidence and career paths.
Stockdale & Leggo invited the team from Bridge Builders Youth Charity to a work experience day where a small group of young people got to learn different skills, including marketing, property management and public relations, that will provide them with working opportunities into their future.
Bridge Builders CEO and Founder Phil Stenhouse OAM said he was proud to see a group of young people saying yes to any opportunity that may change the course of their life.
“I’m excited to see a bunch of our young people have said yes,” he said.
“So if it grows them, develops them, encourages them and gives them an opportunity to learn more and be more in themselves and give them the confidence and self-esteem to say yes to their life, that would be great.”
One of the young leaders involved in the day was 25-year-old Bonnie Knight, who joined the organisation eight years ago.
“I first found Bridge Builders when I was 17 years old just finishing school, and I was very lost and unsure of myself in life and where I was going,” she said.
Bonnie has been a part of the leadership team for six years now, currently serving as a senior leader, and giving back to the youth community.
“Bridge Builders has helped me through many hardships in my life and has constantly provided me with opportunities like the Stockdale & Leggo Work Experience Day to grow myself and my skills, so that I can help more young people”.
Phil said having a connection between Bridge Builders and Stockdale & Leggo is a great asset for the young people who go through the program.
“It’s a wonderful connection because it adds value to young people and develops assets within the young people, and real estate is all about asset building,” he said.
“It has a fantastic alignment with the values of investing in the next generation. It takes a village to raise a child, and Stockdale & Leggo are a part of that village.”
Stockdale & Leggo CEO and Director, Charlotte Pascoe said this partnership has been going for a while and hopes it can continue to help more young people.
“This is such an important initiative to give these young people a chance to learn real life skills that could boost their employment opportunities,” she said.
“We’ve been working with Bridge Builders on this for the past two years because we love what they do, so this was a logical next step to build a program to help more young people in need.
“We are committed to working with Bridge Builders in this space because everyone needs a chance to improve and boost their confidence.”
Phil would love to see more people get involved in Bridge Builders through the project 100 program of recruiting 100 people to get involved in the charity.
You can see more details on how to do this at https://www.bridgebuilders.com.au/volunteer-with-us/