The academy's goal is to provide Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students with opportunities to develop their leadership skills by immersing them in various aspects of Gomeroi culture.

"We offer support through weaving, through art, through dance, through language, through woodcarving, through music, so these young people get to identify what they'd like to learn more about," GCA Director Marc Sutherland said.

Students get to direct their own learning, focusing on whichever aspect of Gomeroi culture they're most interested in.

The academy has been running for six years, with the number of kids interested growing each year.

This year, more than 45 students applied for 10 available spots, meaning priority had to be given to students who have already demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities or potential.

"It's hard. It was a really difficult process" Mr Sutherland said.

In the end, the academy was able to extend their budget to provide 20 spots for students, allowing the program to grow faster than it ever has before.

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Fifty-eight students have graduated from the program so far and have many positive things to say about their experience.

"We learned how to connect with culture, to look at the world with a different understanding and use resources you'd normally take for granted," Mackenzie Lett said.

"The fact that our culture is slowly dying makes me want to keep learning, so I can get the knowledge and pass it on to the younger ones who don't know much about the culture, so it can keep going and going," graduate Perprikka Hamilton said.

The programs are delivered in partnership with four local Aboriginal businesses: Yinarr Maramali, the Gomeroi Dance Company, Gomeroi Education and Training, and Ngurrambaa.

"It's really important for young people. The more they can see culture, the more they can learn," Gomeroi Project Officer for the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Jayden Waters said.

The academy provides 35 weeks of mentoring on top of regular day trips, gatherings, volunteer activities, and on-country camping experiences over the school holidays.

"Learning about your culture might not seem fun at first, but it really is once you get into it. You learn different things every day, even things about yourself," Ms Hamilton said.

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