KickStart for Kids comes full circle for Zandra Martin and Allen Wombat,

These Adelaide teenagers are determined to inspire kids who need someone to believe in them – after all, someone did it for them.

They are still teenagers but they have wisdom and compassion beyond their years, driven to make the lives of other kids a little brighter.

Zandra Martin, 17, and Allen Wombat, 15, are team leaders at Camp KickStart, a holiday program for disadvantaged children run by charity KickStart for Kids.

Allen was a participant in his first camp at the age of 11.

“For years, I went to all of the camps during the holidays and I looked forward to them all term,” he said.

“I had lots of great experiences as well as meeting some really cool people who were role models to me … (helping me) be the best that I can be.”

Zandra Martin, 17, and Allen Wombat, 15. Picture: Dean Martin

Today, the year 9 student who attends Scotch College on a scholarship, says giving back “means everything”, including trying to instil in younger children the importance of an education and “sticking at being at school”.

“I was, and still am, one of them … as a community, we have to help people and kids who need our help,” Allen said.

“I really love working with Indigenous kids and being a role model to them … I like passing on my experiences and life story so they can relate to it and see where I am now.”

Zandra, who has volunteered at the camps for several years, agreed that the importance of having good mentors could not be underestimated.

“Everyone deserves a happy life,” she said.

“How else as a community can we thrive, knowing that there are some who are so disadvantaged?”

Ian Steel, founder and chief executive of KickStart for Kids, a breakfast program to prevent underprivileged children from starting their school day hungry and not being able to properly learn, set up the school holiday programs in 2015.

“I realised very early on that the good work we do during school term very quickly erodes during holidays … a lot of these kids are extremely at risk at home, they feel safe at school,” Mr Steel said.

As well as regular camp activities, participants get access to pop-up “shops” for clothes, hairdressers and doctors.