They say that the only way to overcome your fears is to face up to them, right? Luckily for me and my intense fear of spiders, that day hasn’t come yet.
The opportunity to face their fears was offered to two of PTA’s brave transit officers recently when they (mostly) willingly participated in a snake handling exercise at Armadale Train Station organised by Right Track and Millennium Kids.
Sometimes a young person’s only interaction with a transit officer is when something has gone wrong. First impressions can get things off to the wrong foot for both the young people and those officers.
Right Track is tackling this issue by bringing young people and transit officers together to build positive relationships. Adding snakes to the equation brings everyone out of their comfort zone and breaks the ice in a unique way.
This innovative idea came about through youth workshops facilitated by Millennium Kids, PTA’s youth engagement specialists. Young people, especially indigenous young people, wanted a way to reverse the traditional power structures, build their leadership skills, as well as get an adrenalin rush.
The snake handling workshops, combined with a capacity building leadership course prior to any public event, allows young people to feel in control by showing the transit officers how to handle the situation – rather than the other way around. It definitely gets the heart pumping and offers a safe alternative to other risk taking behaviour, and the novelty of handling the snakes really draws people in.
These workshops are included in the transit officer inductions and have had amazing success in creating positive first impressions, before the new officers go out into the field.
Eariler this year we caught the attention of The Foundation for Young Australians who filmed a short video about the project - watch this video by clicking the movie icon below!
If you would like to be involved with future snake handling or any other community activities that Right Track organises please feel free to drop me a line and you too could get the chance to face your fears with us (no spiders please)!
therighttrack@pta.wa.gov.au