Hannah Wandel wants young dairyfarmers and industry people, as well as students in dairying regions, to follow her footsteps from the country to creating change in Canberra.
The founder and voluntary chief executive officer of Country to Canberra, Ms Wandel made a call to action at a Young Dairy Network Australia forum recently to inspire young people to pursue their dreams.
“The country is the lifeblood of Australia and I want people in cities to understand that,” she said. “One of my ingredients to success is being action-oriented – getting things done and having a go.”
Ms Wandel, 27, grew up on a sheep, beef and cropping farm at Blyth in the Mid North. She loved the lifestyle and community but became disenchanted about the challenges facing young people in rural areas.
That’s why, in 2014, she launched Country to Canberra, a national not-for-profit empowering young rural women to reach their leadership potential.
A $2000 grant from the Young Women’s Christian Association got her started with a website and logo and Ms Wandel encouraged politicians to support the campaign.
“I became frustrated that the more remote rural students are, the worse their education outcomes and the harder it is to access mentorship and tertiary education,” she said.
“I also wanted to do something about the under-representation of women in politics and in business and to help young women in rural and remote areas overcome some of the gender inequalities.
“We started in 2014 with one program and only three girls involved. We have a leadership competition called Power Trip, a blogger team so girls can talk about their communities and voice their opinions, and a new leadership workshop series in rural schools called Project Empower.”
Ms Wandel is also a social policy adviser at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and a gender equality advocate, and she made a real impact on the SA Young Dairy Network representatives at the forum.
SA YDN coordinator Rebecca Hehir was impressed with Ms Wandel’s vision, especially when it came to Country to Canberra.
“I was very interested in the way she approaches goal development, I thought this was fundamental to how she has developed her role and her vision,” Ms Hehir said.
“I really liked the model of Country to Canberra developing opportunities for rural students to have access to the same programs as what their city schooled peers have.
“It's hugely important that young people can develop a support network in their peers in a similar industry or with like-minded people.
“It can give them the confidence to be involved with groups and programs that further their career and professional development as well as improve confidence.”
The SA YDN has about 100 members and Ms Hehir said programs such as Country to Canberra and the YDN were extremely important for the younger generation in agricultural industries.
“I think the success and longevity of the industry is going to be influenced by young people acting as peers and ‘champions’ in the dairy industry,” Ms Hehir said.
“Attracting and retaining people works best when the people who are already working in the industry become advocates and help us create clear programs and pathways that give young people an opportunity to see a career for themselves.”
Ms Wandel says it is also campaigns such as Legendairy and the Legendairy Capital program which help improve positive attitudes towards rural Australia and particularly raise the profile and reputation of the dairy industry.
“It’s using passion and motivation to promote the industry and rural communities in a positive way, and like Country to Canberra it tries to provide an avenue for discourse between city and regional areas,” she said. “There should be no barriers to opportunity.”
She says motivation, having good mentors and networks, learning how to apply your skills, and positive leadership and values are the key to success, but inequality for women and prejudice against rural areas continue to bother her.
Country to Canberra will launch new leadership workshops called Project Power in rural schools next year to talk about goal setting, leadership development and career strategies in local communities.
