Twelve-year-old Sunny normally spends her days in the classroom. But earlier this year, she traded her textbooks for a fire hose, joining 52 kids to take part in a Girls on Fire resilience camp.
Girls on Fire, which is led by NSW Station Officer Bronnie Mackintosh, runs programs to empower young girls and gender diverse kids through education, mentorship and skill-building programs.
During the camps, Girls on Fire facilitators take participants through hands-on practical rotations to help them build resilience and show them what leadership under pressure looks like.
The youngsters (or young women) experience the physical demands of firefighting, and simulations of sensory deprivation, when they’re taught how to extinguish fires, rescue someone from a wrecked car and how to conduct search and rescue operations.
For Sunny, the one-day program in Melbourne opened her eyes to what she could achieve.
“Being at a Girls on Fire camp made me feel powerful,” Sunny said.
“It showed me that girls can do anything, and that my greatest strength is my ability to stay calm in stressful situations.
“It’s given me the confidence to step forward and be a leader in my community.”
Watch more of what Sunny and her fellow trainees learned at the Girls on Fire program below.
