Shoalhaven YouthLocal

This week on Shoalhaven Youthlocal, the team explores future careers, thought-provoking books, and some surprisingly difficult ethical dilemmas.🌊 Tide Talk takes a closer look at careers in marine biology, exploring the many pathways available beyond the stereotype of studying sharks. From ocean conservation and fisheries management to underwater robotics and climate science, Bella shares why she's passionate about pursuing a future researching octopuses and marine ecosystems.🎓 Work Life visits the Country Universities Centre Ulladulla, where Eva explains how local students can access university support right here in the Shoalhaven. The team learns about online study, scholarships, student support services, flexible learning options, and upcoming opportunities for parents and future students.📚 Book Nook features two highly-rated reads:1984 by George Orwell — the classic dystopian novel that continues to spark conversations about power, freedom, and independent thinking.The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel — a practical and insightful look at wealth, investing, decision-making, and human behaviour.🤔 Would You Rather closes the episode with some challenging moral questions about friendship, happiness, history, and the future. Would you save one person you know or five strangers? Change history or predict your future? The answers spark plenty of debate around the table.It's another episode packed with curiosity, big ideas, career inspiration, and authentic youth perspectives from across the Shoalhaven.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections. The team meets every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm. This term is proudly supported by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

This week’s episode of Shoalhaven Youthlocal dives into history, theatre, and life-saving knowledge — with plenty of laughs and curiosity along the way.📚 Book Nook reviews The Courageous Life of Weary Dunlop by Peter FitzSimons — the remarkable true story of Australian surgeon and war hero Weary Dunlop, following his experiences as a prisoner of war on the Thai–Burma Railway during World War II. The team reflects on themes of resilience, forgiveness, perspective, and the human stories behind history.🎭 Stuff To Do spotlights the upcoming Follies production of Honk! at the Milton Theatre this June. Based on The Ugly Duckling, the musical follows Ugly’s journey to find acceptance and belonging. Bella gives a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals, the characters, and why families will love the show.⛑️ Living Skillfully features a practical and fascinating interview with Colleen Allen from South Coast First Aid, covering everything from snake bites and jellyfish stings to CPR, defibrillators, and how to respond in emergencies. The team learns life-saving tips, myths about blue bottle stings, and why staying calm matters most in an emergency.It’s another Youthlocal mix of storytelling, community, practical skills, and youth voices exploring the world around them.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections.The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm.This term is proudly supported by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

This week’s episode of Shoalhaven Youthlocal dives into farming futures, unsolved mysteries, ocean science, and some very tricky “Would You Rather” dilemmas.🚜 Agri News explores the current cattle market, rising beef production, global trade pressures, and how international conflict, fertiliser shortages, and possible El Niño conditions could impact Australian agriculture and rural communities in the months ahead.🤔 Would You Rather returns with hilarious and surprisingly philosophical debates — from surviving nights in forests vs oceans, to living one 1,000-year life or ten 100-year lives, and whether you’d rather talk to your future self or your past self.🕵️ Morning Cup of Mystery investigates the terrifying case of the Golden State Killer — a criminal responsible for decades of burglaries, assaults, and murders before groundbreaking DNA genealogy technology finally led to his arrest more than 30 years later.🌊 Tide Talk follows Bella’s brand-new citizen science project exploring salinity levels across local waterways, rock pools, and estuaries. The team discusses tides, rainfall, biodiversity, algae, and how changing salinity levels may affect marine life around the Shoalhaven coast.It’s thoughtful, curious, and packed with real youth perspectives on science, community, agriculture, and the world around us.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections.The team meets every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm.This term is proudly supported by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

Books, big ideas, local shows, and wild ocean facts — this week’s Shoalhaven Youthlocal is packed with personality.📚 Book Nook dives into two recent releases:Hidden by Brian Brown — a gripping coastal mystery full of cliffhangers and layered storylines that earned a full ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from the team.Pilbara by Judy Nunn — a sweeping late-1800s frontier saga exploring power, land, identity, and perspective, sparking thoughtful debate about authenticity and historical portrayal.🏫 Getting Connected chats with a student from Big Picture Education, a self-directed learning program that places student passions at the centre of education. From selling CDs to designing projects and building confidence, it’s learning done differently.🎪 Live & Local and History Hits celebrate the upcoming Milton Show (March 6–9, 2026) — one of the region’s oldest agricultural shows, running since 1866. From cattle judging and show jumping to baking competitions, teen showgirl, whip cracking, bush poetry, and even the slowest snail category, it’s community spirit at its best.🌊 Tide Talk finishes with a bold dive into marine wildlife facts — from angelfish mating for life, to lobsters communicating by… peeing on each other, to octopus mums, shark teeth, blue whale tongues heavier than elephants, and why you definitely don’t want to step on a stonefish.It’s curious, chaotic, thoughtful, and proudly local — youth voices exploring books, community, history, and the ocean.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections.The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm.Proudly supported this term by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

This episode of Shoalhaven Youthlocal is packed with big opinions, thoughtful debate, and strong community connections — all led by local young people.📱 Hot Topic kicks things off with a lively discussion about the idea of a social media ban. The team dives into whether banning platforms actually helps young people, the role of parents and platforms in keeping kids safe, and what meaningful consequences for online bullying should really look like. It’s an honest, sometimes chaotic, but deeply reflective conversation about growing up online.🐎 History Hits explores the complex history of Australia’s Brumbies — from their origins after colonisation, to their place in farming, wartime legend, and the ongoing debate around heritage listing, culling, and environmental impact in the High Country today.🤔 Would You Rather returns with some of the toughest dilemmas yet: honesty vs fame, spiders vs rats, coughing forever vs constant headaches, and whether you’d rather know who you’ll marry or when you’ll die. As always, no one fully agrees — and that’s half the fun.🏄 Getting Connected wraps up the episode with a chat to a young representative from the local Surf Life Saving Club, learning about pathways from nippers to cadets, the skills young people gain along the way, and how surf clubs build confidence, leadership, and community both in and out of the water.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections. The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm. This term is proudly supported by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

This episode of Shoalhaven Youthlocal is packed with laughs, rhythm, and real stories — from dance halls to dramatic heists.🤔 Would You Rather returns with hilarious hypotheticals about ageing, siblings, and whether anyone would actually trust Oscar behind the wheel.💃 Getting Connected steps into the world of the Ulladulla Dance Group, where members of all ages come together to move, connect, and learn the joy of ballroom and Latin dance.🌉 History Hits takes us to Murrays Road Bridge at Conjola — the last remaining timber trestle bridge in the Shoalhaven. Built in the 1800s, it’s still used daily by local dairy cows who refuse to cross the modern concrete one!🕵️ Morning Cup of Mystery revisits one of the most intense police shootouts in U.S. history — the North Hollywood Bank Robbery. What started as a meticulously planned heist turned into a 44-minute firefight that changed police tactics forever.It’s a mix of laughter, local heritage, and edge-of-your-seat storytelling — all told by the voices of Shoalhaven youth.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections. The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm. This term is proudly supported by The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

From farm life debates to marine crises and true crime mysteries, this week’s Shoalhaven Youthlocal is packed with stories, laughs, and local voices.🐑 Would You Rather (Farm Edition) — The crew gets country as they debate milking cows vs. shearing sheep, living in barns vs. farmhouses, and whether they’d rather wear overalls or a farmer’s hat forever. It’s chaos, comedy, and country living at its best.🌊 Tide Talk dives into the sea urchin crisis threatening Southern Australia’s kelp forests. The team explores how climate change is shifting ocean ecosystems — and how we can all help protect marine life.🕵️ Morning Cup of Mystery unpacks the gripping Kayak Killer case — a true story of love, loss, and deception on the Hudson River that blurs the line between tragedy and crime.🎨 Getting Connected chats with local students from Big Picture Education — a creative, self-directed learning program helping young people pursue their passions, build real-world projects, and reimagine what school can look like.It’s another Youthlocal mix of curiosity, community, and conversation — made by young people, for young people across the Shoalhaven.Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections. The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm. This term is proudly supported by the The Veolia Mulwarre Trust.

This episode of Shoalhaven Youthlocal is packed with creativity, history, humour, and heart — from stage lights to skateboards!Stuff To Do spotlights The Vicar of Dibley Christmas – The Second Coming at the Milton Theatre! The team gives a behind-the-scenes look (and a few laughs) from the cast and crew, with Gemma performing as Mrs. Cropley and Youthlocal member Bella helping on lighting.History Hits tells the incredible story of Sir Sidney Kidman, the teenage runaway who went on to build the largest cattle empire in the world — owning over 3.5% of Australia!Would You Rather gets wild and wonderful as the team debates whether they’d rather time travel, break into song uncontrollably, or live life in wet socks.Morning Cup of Mystery takes a chilling turn with the story of a young couple’s plane crash and a pilot who disappeared for 24 years before being found — the haunting case of Jerry Isenberg.Tide Talk dives into the world’s most famous natural wonder — the Great Barrier Reef — with fascinating facts and simple ways we can all help protect our coral ecosystems.And finally, In the Field hits the Ulladulla Skate Park, where reporter Oliver Carson chats with Jayden Sheridan, founder of Gnarly Neighbours, about how skateboarding builds connection, confidence, and community across Australia.You can explore the work Jayden does at gnarlyneighbours.com.au, and if your child was at one of his workshops, give Gnarly Neighbours a shout out online!Youthlocal is a Dunn Lewis Foundation youth program designed to develop youth confidence, interpersonal skills, media literacy, and community connections. The team meets every second Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:00pm. This term is proudly supported by the Veolia Mulwarre Trust.