Emma Kearney says her role as the inaugural captain of The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos and her experience as an elite athlete will make her a better educator.

“I can use my knowledge of what good leadership is to really help pass that along to young people,” Kearney told North Media.

“I can also talk about resilience and mental health in ways that will hopefully be more interesting to the students because it will be based on my own, real, experiences.”

Kearney will undertake a new role at the club as The Huddle’s social cohesion education coordinator, leading projects such as True North, Voice your Voice, sport and recreation programs, and wellness sessions.

The government funded role enabling her to impact the wider community in a meaningful way.

“The goal is to have students build personal capital by reflecting upon and sharing their story and developing an understanding of how their values and skills shape their identity as a leader,” Kearney explained.

“In essence my job will be to partner with schools across North Melbourne and Wyndham regions and work with students to produce youth-lead projects and media campaigns to help educate others and build more socially inclusive communities.”

A new initiative, Kearney is particularly excited about the True North project, which empowers young people to discover their true self.

“The chance to do this is really great. It's a really exciting project with a lot of options and I love that’s its student lead,” she added.