Orange High School student Preston Magick thriving in Milan Dhiiyaan project

The year 10 student from Orange High School recently attended the UNSW Indigenous Leadership Program, where he took in all the sights and sounds that university can offer.

"I found it very interesting and after the experience I have a bit of an idea of what I'm planning to do after school," he said.

"I'm looking along the path of becoming an electrical engineer through uni. It's a lot of the hands on stuff that intrigued me."

Preston is part of the Milan Dhiiyaan project which has been in full-time operation for eight years now. It was that project which encouraged him to apply for the university program in the first place.

"I've been doing a lot of leadership work with them over the years and have been running programs on my own," he said.

"I decided it was a good opportunity to experience some of the things that happen at uni."

Milan Dhiiyaan - which is a Gimilaroy name and means 'one family' or 'one mob' - was founded by Preston's mother Fleur Magick Dennis and her partner, Locky Magick Dennis.

"We assist youth and families, so anyone in the community who wants to know and understand more about their culture and participate in living more in their culture in their everyday lives," Mrs Magick Dennis said.

"Part of that is dance, making tools and weapons, teaching our stories and knowledge and we also share that knowledge in communities."

The group operates throughout Orange, Bathurst, Coonamble, Walgett and Sydney where it sponsors young people, like Preston, to go and take part in programs to help further their lives.

"Lots of those young people participate in dance with us, so they will travel throughout NSW to different communities and different events," Mrs Magick Dennis added.

"They get the chance to participate in traditional corroboree grounds at community events or on stage at non-Aboriginal events. They get a chance to feel proud for who they are and get celebrated for the strength in our culture and their strength as young, Aboriginal people."

Although he is still young, Preston has quickly become a leader within the group.

This was highlighted at a recent gathering of Indigenous students from Western region. Preston was invited to run the workshop for kids, some of whom were older than him.

"That's pretty incredible for a 16-year-old to be able to achieve that," his mother added.

And while he still has a few more years before university is on the cards, Preston is determined to not let the skills he has learned in the Milan Dhiiyaan project go to waste.

"I'm planning on continuing to share my culture with others," he said.

"I'm pretty passionate about that and I want to make people aware of it."