From lockdown uncertainty to leading others at sea, former Young Endeavour participant Erin Burke says one sunrise during her voyage changed the direction of her life forever.
Sailing on STS Young Endeavour during Voyage 02B/22 from Geelong to Adelaide, Erin stepped aboard searching for adventure. What she found was confidence, resilience, lifelong friendships and a new understanding of what success really means.
“I had known about Young Endeavour anecdotally for a while before I applied,” Erin said.
“My mum had always wanted to do it when she was young and really encouraged me to give it a go. Then one of my friends told me about her voyage and I realised it was something I genuinely wanted to do.”
Erin first applied in 2019, before the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped life as she knew it.
“COVID hit while I was in Year 12, and it was a really difficult year,” she said.
“I’d always been the kind of person to stack my plate with dance, robotics, band and a busy social life — and suddenly all of it disappeared overnight.”
By the time she graduated, Erin said she felt disconnected from the future she had imagined for herself.
“I felt lost and alone. The plans I’d had were suddenly on hold.”
Over the following year, Erin began rebuilding her confidence and direction. When she was finally offered a berth aboard Young Endeavour at the end of 2021, she was ready to embrace a new challenge.
“I had a new job, new friends and a new plan for my education,” she said.
“I was feeling adventurous and ready to push myself.”
That challenge arrived quickly.
For Erin, one moment from the voyage stands above all others — the sunrise before Command Day.
“There were so many beautiful moments during the voyage, but I have never seen the sky light up the way it did that morning,” she said.
“I remember standing there surrounded by the sound of the ocean and these incredible people who had been strangers just a week before. I couldn’t believe where I was.”
In the stillness before the intensity of Command Day began, Erin experienced something she says continues to shape her life years later.
“I remember wondering whether I would ever feel so at peace and so connected again,” she said.
“After the voyage, that moment became my inspiration — a drive to pursue that feeling.”
While the sunrise brought calm, the voyage itself pushed Erin well outside her comfort zone.
“Command Day was the most exhausting 24 hours of my life,” she said.
“It taught me that I can get through anything. And that sometimes you just have to throw a disco in the forepeak instead of taking the only rest you’re going to get.”
One of the biggest lessons she took away from the experience was discovering leadership beyond formal titles.
During Command Day, Erin nominated herself for Watch Leader but was not selected by the youth crew vote. At the time, she thought that meant stepping back into the background.
Instead, she discovered a new perspective on teamwork and leadership.
“I realised I could still be a leader without having the title,” she said.
“I pushed myself in ways I never would have otherwise — especially laying aloft in pouring rain to furl sails.”
When the youth crew found themselves off course overnight, everyone was called in to solve the problem together.
“I hadn’t realised I was carrying this fear of being left out of the big moments,” she said.
“And suddenly, I wasn’t.”
The experience reshaped Erin’s definition of success.
“I don’t think I became less ambitious, but my perspective definitely changed,” she said.
“Success stopped being about prestige or achievement and became about being part of a team and giving everything you have to a common endeavour.”
Since completing her voyage, Erin has built a successful career in software development, combining her STEM expertise with leadership and public-facing roles.
“At the start of 2022, I was a junior developer; and by early 2024, I was leading stakeholder workshops and designing software,” she said.
But beyond technical skills, Erin believes the greatest impact of Young Endeavour was learning how to stay calm under pressure and connect with people.
“My perception of stress fundamentally changed after the voyage,” she said.
“There hasn’t been a single thing since that I’ve felt I couldn’t handle.”
Originally from Canberra, Erin later made the bold decision to move to Melbourne alone — a move she describes as one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences of her life.
“It was scary moving to a city where I didn’t know a single person,” she said.
“But after my voyage, I started asking myself, ‘Why not now?’”
That same mindset eventually led Erin back to tall ships, this time aboard Enterprize, where she now serves as a Watch Leader helping mentor young people through their own experiences at sea.
“It wasn’t until I became crew on Enterprize that I realised I could do this kind of work myself,” she said.
“Having the opportunity to Watch Lead showed me I’m genuinely passionate about youth development.”
After graduation, Erin plans to also pursue work in youth development and outdoor education programs around Australia and overseas.
“My voyage changed my life,” she said.
“I want to be able to give that experience to other young people too.”
Looking back, Erin says Young Endeavour fundamentally changed the trajectory of her life.
“It opened my world,” she said.
“It gave me role models, friendships and the confidence to change my own life.”
Most importantly, she says the voyage taught her one powerful lesson:
“That my aspirations can become reality — I just have to go after them.”
For young Australians considering applying for a voyage, Erin’s advice is simple.
“There is no single experience I could recommend more highly,” she said.
“If fear is what’s holding you back, I can’t promise you won’t face it — but I can promise that overcoming it will open up a whole new world.”
“And if that’s not what’s holding you back, then all I can say is this: I’ve never met anyone who regretted their voyage, but I have met people who regretted not applying when they had the chance.”
