Indigenous teenager Cooper Craig-Peters is no stranger to the Western Bulldogs.

He has been a Nallei-Jerring Koori Youth Leadership program participant in 2013, designer of the Bulldogs’ Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round guernsey in 2018, and a member of the Club’s Next Generation Academy.

This year, he has decided to give back to the Nallei-Jerring program that taught him so much.

Returning as a facilitator, Craig-Peters says the program was a great way to meet other Indigenous youth, and hopes to act as a mentor figure to those in the program now.   

“Thinking back to when I was a participant, I would have wanted someone who was a past participant in the program to mentor me as a younger adult and give me some tips as I get older,” Craig-Peters said. 

“It is good to have that person closer in age; it makes the connection stronger.

“I gained a lot of confidence in speaking in front of big groups and becoming a leader, improving my knowledge of culture and my ancestors.

“I hope that me being a facilitator helps the participants gain confidence in public speaking, and being proud of what you say and where you come from.”

For the first time in the program’s eight-year history it is being delivered online, working with 30 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through Zoom sessions conducted remotely from Ballarat.

A Ballarat resident himself, Craig-Peters said he was excited to see Ballarat’s Indigenous youth be given the opportunity to network with other teenagers and connect with their culture.

“I’m really proud to see Ballarat young people be a part of the program for the first time, and start to build a network in the local community as well as across Victoria,” the Yorta Yorta-Wurundjeri teen said.

“Melbourne-based young people get more opportunities to connect to their Aboriginal culture, gaining more sense of their ancestors, so it’s great for young people from Ballarat get the same opportunities.”

Facilitated by the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, the Nallei-Jerring program is open to males and females aged 13-15 living in Victoria’s west. 

The free program aims to help build connections and strengthen self-understandings of culture and identity by providing participants with a range of life, cultural and sport experiences, while also offering theory-based activities designed to enhance leadership, teamwork, resilience and a connection to the community.