Kairos empowers young people through Kokoda Challenge

Kairos Community College students are preparing to take on the Kokoda Challenge, an endurance event that represents far more than a physical hike. The challenge honours the legacy of the original Kokoda Track and is built around the values of Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice, principles that sit at the heart of the Kairos approach to education.

The timing is significant for Kairos, with its new Nambour campus having opened on 27 January, welcoming Year 10 students who have become disengaged from mainstream schooling. The campus provides a supportive and alternative learning environment designed to help young people re‑engage with education, rebuild confidence and develop a strong sense of self-belief.

For Kairos students, the Kokoda Challenge is a powerful extension of this work. Walking rugged terrain, students learn firsthand the importance of perseverance, teamwork and supporting one another when challenges arise. Completing the event alongside their peers and educators reinforces the idea that progress is made together, not alone. The impact of the challenge extends well beyond event day. Students return with increased resilience, confidence and a renewed belief in their capacity to achieve hard things. These experiences help shape character and nurture the “I can” mindset that Kairos seeks to foster through its program.

Kairos is currently seeking support from local businesses and community members to sponsor its Kokoda Challenge teams. Sponsorship enables student participation and represents an investment in young people who are building new pathways forward.

Those interested in sponsoring a Kairos team can contact Kairos Marketing Manager Katy Devers at katy@kairos.qld.edu.au