The Trenches expands with Youngbloods to launch in Queensland and Western Australia

There may still be physical borders in places, but for QLD and WA there are now even more ways to connect. Longtime representatives of industry up-and-comers Youngbloods and mentoring program The Trenches are expanding to launch the program in more states. Formed in 1995, Youngbloods champions and provides opportunities for young people in the industry. The Trenches has been in operation for over a year, with the majority of its presence in NSW and VIC.

Due to COVID-19 conditions, all mentors and mentees in the program will meet up virtually for the foreseeable future – allowing The Trenches to open up to areas where it previously hadn’t been able to provide face-to-face mentoring.

The expansion is a Youngbloods National initiative lead by the QLD team, headed by co-chairs Samantha Coates and Alessia Castiglione.

Says Linh Diep and Matt Bladin, co-chairs, Youngbloods National: “As a national committee, we want to ensure that opportunities are equal across the nation, regardless of where you are – so expanding the Trenches to WA and QLD was key to this. We believe mentoring is key to empowering young people to kick arse in their careers and the Trenches does just that.”

Says Nicky Bryson, founder, The Trenches: “We’ve had a lot of interest from the start in being able to serve all states but have been held back due to logistics and ability to match people physically within those areas. With the program moving virtual and the help of Youngbloods we are excited to be able to open access to mentees in those areas.”

In the first stage, the program is opening up access to a limited number of QLD and WA mentees straight away for their September round of matching. If you wish to take part, they encourage applicants to act promptly and email hello@thetrenches.com.au.