Pormpuraaw bursts with colour and joy at the 2025 Youth Summit. Photo: Christine Howes.
The young faces of Pormpuraaw are plastered with nothing but smiles after a week packed with sports, education and cultural activities at the award-winning Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation (PPAC) Youth Summit.
The 22-26 September event brought together the most young people to the summit since its inception in 2012.
Winner of the Premier’s Reconciliation Award and Community Award at this year’s Queensland Reconciliation Awards in June, the event’s 2025 theme – Empowerment through Reconciliation – honoured the accolade.
PPAC chief executive officer Ganthi Kuppusamy said the mixture of educational sessions and activities suggested by young people was making a positive difference in community engagement.
“We had more participation this year and it was well received,” she said.
“The theme is very meaningful because we’re bringing together people with a lot of skills and expertise who are sharing that with the youth, and empowering the youth at the same time.
“We can clearly see our people, the stakeholders and sponsors all came together to support the young people; teamwork makes the dream work.”
Sport sessions, the colour run and The Amazing Race again captured the hearts of youth this year. They were also given the opportunity to attend an artificial intelligence workshop, learn about their health, take a fishing and swimming trip to Nutwood, and much more.
“When we come together for the youth, we can achieve so much and share so much,” Ms Kuppusamy said.
“We’re really satisfied and honoured; we’re so happy to see young people with a smile on their face. That’s what’s kept us going for all these years.”
This year’s summit took youth leadership and empowerment to the next level, forming a youth council for the community.
“We picked some good leaders from this year’s youth summit, nominated them and formed a youth council,” Ms Kuppusamy said.
“We want to support the youth council, so they will be the leaders and can develop programs and activities in the future. And next youth summit, they can come up with the ideas!”
