Maddie Earle-Sadler says she was raised by some "very strong parents"
"They instilled in me that what you put into the community is what you're going to get out of it," says the Frederick Irwin Anglican School alum.
Maddie has been awarded Citizen of the Year (youth) at the 2021 Community Citizen of the Year awards and said it was important to put value back into our youth.
"I figured if I wanted the world to be a better place for me in the future, I needed to make sure the people who would be making the decisions were really cool," Maddie laughed.
Maddie's first foray into youth work was at 16 years old, when she volunteered as a camp counsellor through the Global Good Foundation.
"I was heavily involved in community theatre and one of the women who worked at Koorliny Arts Centre went on to be the CEO for the Global Good Foundation, which was doing camps in Kulin.
"The camps started when I was 16, which was the age required to be a volunteer, so I went on to volunteer there for three years."
When Maddie finished high school, she did a year at Curtin University before a job opportunity at Camp Kulin presented itself.
"A job opportunity came up there and at this point I had finished my first year of Uni and wasn't vibing with the idea of going back, so I applied and ended up working with them for two years."
Maddie said it was during this time that her passion for youth work grew in every way, having the opportunity to work with and provide resources for children who generally would've missed out.
"It worked like an American summer school - there were camps on every school holiday and we would see kids who were potentially coming from trauma or disadvantaged backgrounds, refugee kids and some kids who might need help with extra skills."
While working at Camp Kulin, Maddie experienced a moment which solidified to her that she was pursuing the right field of work.
"It was a summer camp where I was working with teenaged boys, we were at the pool every day - and we went to the biggest waterslide in regional WA, it was 18 metres high.
"One of the boys said all week that we would go on the water slide 'but just not today', so on the final day I was like 'I figured you're a little scared about this, but should we go on the slide today?'."
The boy climbed the 20 steps up to the first platform with Maddie before asking to sit down.
"I said absolutely - we can sit down. In the meantime, there was another boy who had probably passed us about three times. He was in my group, and on the fourth time he came up the stairs he looked at the other boy and said 'let's go together'."
Maddie watched as he took the hand of the anxious boy and walked backwards up the stairs with him, intermittently stopping and waiting when he needed.
"They got to the top and went down the slide together. It was just the most amazing moment.
"Teens can sometimes be self-invested, and these boys didn't know each other a week earlier. He stopped and took time out of his fun to help another kid conquer what he needed to conquer.
"In that moment, to have another kid take over in that leadership role, that will always stick with me."
After finishing her time with Camp Kulin, Maddie went on to work in another regional position at the Bruce Rock Community Resource Centre, where she facilitated youth activities and worked with local schools.
At this point, Maddie had started receiving recognition for her contributions, and was asked to feature as a part of 'Humans of the Wheatbelt' - a project based on 'Humans of New York', which recognises locals who have incredible stories to tell.
"I was interviewed for that, which was a great experience, and I was kind of poached for my next job from that," she laughed.
"Avon Community Services approached me with a job opportunity in Merredin - so I met with them and got to ask them all the questions like 'how will this benefit the youth?' - for me that's really important.
"I came out of that meeting and was speaking with my boss at the time and she asked how it went and I said 'I think I'm going to work in Merredin', and she said she was thrilled for me."
Working in regional WA and growing up around Mandurah and south of the river made it clear to Maddie that there was somewhat of a divide in access to resources.
"There are so many kids, especially regionally, who don't have access to opportunities that they should be afforded.
"Even in Mandurah and south of Perth, you see a very large divide between the people who have access and those who don't.
"There's so much space to create opportunities for people who have the capacity but not the means."
Maddie said that going to a private school and growing up with food on the table made her feel "very lucky", and that she saw other students around her who didn't have those things.
"I remember thinking that I've got these things, and that there are people who don't have what I have and how important it was to make it better for those who have got it really tough."
"I remember thinking that I've got these things, and that there are people who don't have what I have and how important it was to make it better for those who have got it really tough."
University was another place where Maddie witnessed the divide firsthand, with some students unable to experience extra-curriculars or on-campus clubs and groups because they relied on their paycheck.
"Some students could put all of these hours into Uni shows and projects while others needed to head straight to work because that three hour shift was what they were relying on for the week.
"Having volunteered with kids for so many years who had no access to opportunities they should've had - it just sits with you, and I was like 'how can I do more?'."
Sometimes I think 'no wonder I feel like I can conquer the world, because my mother did'.
Maddie has worked in her current position in Merredin for 11 months, and said she had already experienced a number of meaningful moments.
"I've implemented a practice of 'we don't swear in here', and the kids have built this incredible respect - they won't even swear in front of me if I see them out in public.
"I'm so happy where I am right now - I will definitely be here for a few years.
"Particularly in regional places children can feel a sense of abandonment, because services will come for a few years and leave - it's the same with teachers and police officers, it's kind of the nature of the beast being out here.
"I'm looking into branching out eventually into chaplaincy and student support which would be made available in addition to school staff in regional schools.
"There's a big gap with kids who fall through the cracks being labelled as 'naughty kids' but what they need is that extra bit of attention they aren't getting because we don't get as many of those services out here."
The education system is a passion that Maddie inherited from her mother Marie, a cancer survivor who has worked for many years as a school teacher.
"My mother would do everything - she would take me around to school and rehearsals, even while in recovery.
"Sometimes I think 'no wonder I feel like I can conquer the world, because my mother did'."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
