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Johnathan Thurston lifts spirits in Balonne

Australian football legend Johnathan Thurston joined forces with Balonne Shire Council to celebrate the region’s youth and community during a three-day extravaganza on August 26, 27 and 28, 2019.

JT and his team from the JTAcademy delivered workshops to primary and high school students from the local and surrounding areas designed to build self-esteem, confidence and believe in themselves.

Students took part in the academy’s JTSucceed and JTBelieve programs, both designed to encourage students to stay at school, value an education and believe they can be successful in a career of their choosing with the right support.

JT also played footy with local children, took part in a Fundraising Dinner and a farm tour and provided some motivational thoughts to employees from Balonne Shire Council.

Balonne Shire Council Deputy Mayor, Cr Fiona Gaske said JT’s visit lifted the whole community, particularly given the recent difficulties the region has experienced through the drought.

“JT being in our community was a gift because he spoke to people of all ages and from all walks of life. His appeal was universal and his message so timely for us. It was a privilege to collaborate with the JTAcademy in an event that I know transformed lives,” she said.

“The work of the JTAcademy is renowned for helping youth and our younger residents really enjoyed the workshops.”

JT Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said he was thrilled to see so many people from the region take part in activities during his visit, with numbers far exceeding those predicted.

“Our programs have been designed to encourage kids to believe they can have a bright future, regardless of their circumstances today,” Thurston said.

“The program, in partnership with the Balonne Shire Council, focused on a number of key youth issues and worked in conjunction with the wider community.

“It was great to get out and meet with as many residents from the area as possible who I know have been doing it tough of late.

“I would like to particularly thank Balonne Shire Council, the Primary Health Network and the South West Hospital and Health Service for their support of this visit.”

For more information please call Sarah Morgan (JT Academy) on 0421 664 969 or Julie Davies Balonne Shire Council on 0476 660 047.

Evolution Mining partners with Johnathan Thurston Academy to offer employment and training opportunities

The Johnathan Thurston Academy has signed an exciting two year partnership with Evolution Mining, an Australian gold mining company, to help improve access to employment and training opportunities for local and Indigenous jobseekers aged between 16 and 25 across regional Australia.

Evolution is a relatively young company, which has quickly evolved into a globally relevant gold mining business with a reputation of delivering value for all stakeholders. Having won various awards for community, safety and operational excellence, Evolution is committed to growing their people and their communities, as they grow.

The partnership will be implemented in September at four of Evolution’s operations – Mt Carlton and Cracow in Queensland, Cowal in NSW and Mungari in WA – with a view to potentially extending the programs to other operations in future years.

The partnership, while promoting job vacancies and training opportunities, will also assist local and Indigenous participants by preparing them to be job ready, building self-confidence and developing skills in resume writing, job interviewing skills and submitting job applications.

“We are committed to maximising local and Indigenous employment opportunities wherever possible,” Anika McManus, Evolution Mining Group Manager External and Indigenous Relations explained. “And we are excited about our partnership with the JTAcademy as their programs will help remove some of the barriers we identified that were preventing some locals from applying for roles.

“Supporting people in the communities in which we operate to competitively apply for jobs, not just with us, but with any company, will benefit both the community and Evolution.

“Targeted training and support around writing job applications, compiling a resume and, importantly, having the confidence to attend and succeed in a job interview, will help more people access available jobs and to have fulfilling careers.”

Johnathan Thurston, Managing Director of the JTAcademy said partnerships, such as the one they have entered into with Evolution Mining, go a long way to equipping Indigenous youth with the skills and confidence needed to apply for work.

“The work we are doing at the Academy has been very successful in helping all youth in remote, regional and metropolitan areas around Australia access jobs and training they probably wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” Thurston said.

“While our purpose is to help as many people as we can, there is a sustained focus on offering additional support and opportunities for Indigenous youth, especially those in regional and remote communities.

“Our partnership with Evolution Mining has enormous potential to create great employment and training opportunities, which can help to significantly increase the options available for youth in regional Australia. And that’s exciting to us.

“This aligns perfectly with everything we stand for and we thank Evolution for coming on board and helping us achieve this.”

For more information please call Sarah Morgan on 0421 664 969.

Johnathan Thurston to join Balonne’s youth extravaganza

Australian football legend Johnathan Thurston has partnered with Balonne Shire Council to celebrate the region’s youth and community with a three-day extravaganza on August 26, 27 and 28, 2019.

JT and his team from the JTAcademy will deliver workshops to primary and high school students from the local and surrounding areas designed to build self-esteem, confidence and believe in themselves.

Students will undertake the academy’s JTSucceed and JTBelieve programs, both designed to encourage students to stay at school, value an education and believe they can be successful in a career of their choosing with the right support.

JT Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said he was really excited to bring the academy to the area.

“We are really looking forward to visiting the community and talking directly with the kids as part of these exciting programs,” Thurston said.

“The program, in partnership with the Balonne Shire Council, works on a number of key youth issues and works in conjunction with the wider community.

“I’m also looking forward to getting out and meeting with as many residents of the area, who I know have been doing it tough of late.”

There will be a meet and greet with Thurston between 4.30pm and 6.30pm at Rowden Park, school workshops, a fundraising dinner and motivational sessions.

Balonne Shire Mayor, Richard Marsh, said the region was buzzing with the news that JT was coming to town.

“In these hard times of drought, a visit by someone such as JT is just what is needed to lift the spirits in our community,” he said.

“The work of the JTAcademy is renowned for helping youth and I’m sure our younger residents will really enjoy the workshops.

“I would like to thank JT, the JTAcademy, Primary Health Network, Regional Development Australia and the South West Hospital and Health Service for their support of this visit.”

For more information please call Sarah Morgan (JT Academy) on 0421 664 969 or Julie Davies Balonne Shire Council on 0476 660 047

Johnathan Thurston runs workshops at Mount Isa schools and takes part in Isa Street Festival

As part of the Isa Street Festival, Mount Isa City Council partnered with the Johnathan Thurston Academy to deliver workshops to hundreds of local students and Indigenous leaders at two local high schools, August 6 and 7, as part of a celebration of local youth.

Australian footy legend Johnathan Thurston visited Mount Isa with staff from the JTAcademy as they deliver the JTSucceed workshop over two days at Spinifex High School and Good Shepherd High School.

The JTSucceed workshop helped to build confidence, courage, self-belief, well-being and good mental health, with cyber bullying a focus for this workshop.

The JTAcademy was founded in 2018 to help Australian youth have access to education and training to help them secure meaningful employment, and this starts with building their self-confidence, self-believe and motivation.

JT Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said he was really thrilled about how the visit went.

“I was really excited to bring the JT Academy and our JTSucceed workshop to Mount Isa and be part of the local festivities in partnership with Mount Isa City Council,” Thurston said. “We had been really looking forward to the visit and it was great to be so warmly welcomed by the Mt Isa community and be able to talk directly with the kids about issues which impact them.”

Mount Isa City Council Mayor Joyce McCulloch said valuable lessons were shared by the JT Academy to 160 students at Spinifex Junior campus, including 20 Indigenous leaders, 118 Year 8 and Year 9 students at Good Shepherd Catholic College and 25 Flexible Learning Centre students.

“It is more important in a remote city such as Mount Isa that we talk about these issues so we can increase awareness of appropriate actions that this community can take and the support available, particularly for parents.”

JT also personally presented a signed Maroons jersey to the winner of a Facebook competition run by Mt Isa City Council.

“We are headed to Balonne in late August to deliver programs to students there at the invitation of Balonne Shire Council,” Thurston added.

“And I can’t wait!”

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2KwnyLoMtIsa

If you are interested in having the JTAcademy deliver tailored programs to your school, community or staff, register your interest at the Academy here: http://jtacademy.com.au/jt-community/

Kids from remote Yarrabah and Kowanyama communities join the JTBelieve camp

Education Today ran a story in July about a group of students from Yarrabah and Kowanyama who successfully applied to attend the JTBelieve camp in Cairns with Johnathan Thurston.

The 20 students were chosen from those who successfully completed the JTBelieve program during the school semester, which meant have a great attendance at school and being respectful of the community both in and outside of school.

“The JTBelieve program was designed to help kids improve their self-belief, confidence and courage in their future abilities and opportunities,” Thurston said in the story.

“We believe that by providing programs which help build up the self-belief, confidence, courage and skillsets of youth, they are being given the chance to make decisions about their future based on what they want and what they believe they can achieve.”

To read the full story click here.

Johnathan Thurston wrong foots Woodridge High with a visit

A visit by Johnathan Thurston to Woodridge State High School in late 2018 as part of the JTSucceed program, caught the students as off-guard as he used to catch his opponents on the footy field.

The JTSucceed program has been developed to encourage students to attend school, to develop their confidence and self-belief and to not give up on their dreams.

“My message is don’t be scared of failing, be more scared of not giving it a go. I want to encourage as many youth as I can to keep turning up to school and to keep believing in themselves,” Thurston said in the story.

Woodridge State High’s Employment Connections Coach, Rhiannon Parsons organised the program for the school and added: “We know Johnathan Thurston is a major role model for the majority of our student population, and he has built such a great reputation for himself that we knew it would be a great program that our students would be excited to be a part of”.

To read the full story click here.

JT hopes the JTBelieve camp and program will be life-changing for students

In early July, Johnathan Thurston travelled to Cairns to meet school students from Yarrabah and Kowanyama, who had successfully completed the JTBelieve program.

Thurston and some of the students spoke with journalist Peter Carruthers about the program in a story that ran in the Cairns Post and Courier Mail on July 3, 2019.

“The JTBelieve program was designed to help kids improve their self-belief, confidence and courage in their future abilities and opportunities,” Thurston said.“The JTBelieve program includes what is essentially a set of values and tools to develop these skills.”

Kowanyama’s Hamish Gilbert, 11, told Carruthers: “We have been learning to introduce ourselves to other people to get more confidence as we grow up”.

To read the full story click here.

JT recieves his most prestigious award yet with an Appointment to the Order of Australia

Johnathan Thurston will forever be remembered as one of the greatest league players of our time, but for him, being named a recipient of the Order of Australia during the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List will remain one of his greatest achievements.

Speaking with Townsville Bulletin journalist Kate Banville, Thurston said the award for his services to rugby league and as a role model through the JTAcademy was a huge honour.

“I now understand the impact that rugby league has and I started having that impact on people, especially young kids, and I don’t take that for granted,” Thurston told Banville.

“Especially with the indigenous kids and being a role model to them, I really try to show them that they can do anything; my focus is on education and getting kids educated because that can open up their future.”

To read the full story click here.

JT kicking youth employment goals

In the Autumn 2019 edition of the industry publication Resource People, produced by the Australian Resources & Energy Group (AMMA), Johnathan Thurston reflected on the partnership between Queensland Field Mining Services (QFMS) and the JTAcademy.

“In many remote and rural areas, the mining sector forms the backbone of the local economy,” he said. “Any chance we have to partner with organisations working in this space who also want to see young people trained and employed, we are happy to talk with.”

Jason Holt, COO at CFMS added: “When we received the call to say we were accepted to work with the JTAcademy we were over the moon as there was some very large companies involved and we could see the opportunities it could open up and help to drive diversity in our workplace.”

QFMS has been a supporter of the JTAcademy since it was launched in March 2018.

To read the full story on page 30 click here.

JT steps up to help young women lead

Speaking with Danielle Buckley from the Albert & Logan News in March, Woodridge State High School Principal Kathleen Janecek said she was “privileged and excited” her students were among the first to undertake the JTWomenToLead program.

The JTWomenToLead program has been developed to help female high school students receive mentoring and support.

“What’s really inspiring about these students is that diversity is normal for them,” Janecek said.“They’re already very resilient and this program will help them be even more self-aware at an earlier age.”

The 14 girls chosen to take part in the program are in Years 9, 10 and 11.

To see the full story click here.