Ryll Burgin

Business Mentoring for Teens: Empowering and enriching adolescents down under

By the time she was 24, Ryll Burgin seemingly had it all - her own business, a fabulous circle of friends, and a great lifestyle. Years later, working in the USA, she still felt something was missing. "I found myself wondering, 'Is this it?'” Burgin says. “I was secretly waiting for my 'real' life to start, wishing for a way to have a bigger life, to do something really valuable." Through The Landmark Forum, Burgin says, “I expanded my ability to listen and receive people's contribution, to lead people by inspiring them, and to get out of the way and let people achieve.”

Knowing how powerful learning the lessons of business had been to her early in life, Burgin thought she could help teenagers - those going through the normal throes of adolescence, as well as those troubled or at-risk - by establishing a unique program for 14 to 18 years olds as her SELP project. After completing The Landmark Forum and the Landmark Advanced Course, she returned to her native Australia and launched the stepUP Foundation, a mentoring program for teens. Burgin says, "At stepUP, our job is to have teens see that no matter what they've faced so far in their lives, anything is possible if they set their heart and mind to it and hang on." After the first two-day stepUP event, Burgin relays proudly, “196 out of 200 teens surveyed agreed they were 'more encouraged and inspired about what might be possible for their lives' after participating."

stepUP has been so successful in Brisbane, that plans are underway to expand nationally and branch out into the USA, UK, Europe, and Asia. Burgin credits Landmark with inspiring her to start stepUP. “The Landmark Forum continues to challenge and inspire me to be a better leader," she said. “I'm hoping the mentoring program will give these kids - our future leaders - the same opportunity.” www.stepupfoundation.com

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