Sixty-eight indigenous youth leaders representing all seventeen NRL clubs descended on Sydney recently to begin the 11th NRL Indigenous Youth Summit.

The One NZ Warriors youth ambassadors over the course of the week were Nicky-Lee Tapurau, Elina Moeakiola and Lukas Barlow from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kaikohe with Toby Gibson from Saint Thomas of Canterbury in Christchurch.

These youth leaders had the opportunity to listen and learn from prominent indigenous role models such as journalist Stan Grant, lawyer Taylah Gray, mental health and wellbeing educator Joe Williams as well as NRL Players both past and present over the course of their week.

Hosted at the New South Wales Rugby League HQ in the Sydney Olympic Quarter, the youth leaders were emersed in many different activities such as Haka and First Nations War Cry practice and creating campaign ideas to address indigenous social issues before presenting their ideas to a shark tank panel who chose a winning campaign.

Before the summit came to an end the youth leaders attended a formal luncheon before attending the NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Parramatta Eels.

The summit was an amazing opportunity to meet other indigenous youth from all over Australia and forge life long friendships as well as a a new appreciation of their own abilities as leaders and their cultures.