Alutakua puts purpose before crown

For Temalesi Vakalawa Alutakua, the Hibiscus Festival is about much more than competing for a crown.

The 23-year-old, who is representing the National Fire Authority at the 70th FMF Hibiscus Festival, is using the stage to encourage young people to believe that their circumstances do not determine their future.

Youth empowerment is at the heart of her advocacy, alongside fire safety and mental health awareness.

The Solomon Islander lass with maternal links to Gau, Lomaiviti believes every young person has a purpose and a talent waiting to be discovered.

“I wanted to empower young people of Fiji and remind them they have a purpose, and they just need to discover their God-given purpose and God-given talent,” she said.

Her passion for helping children has also been strengthened through her involvement with the World Harvest Centre’s Children Ministry Department.

Through her role with the National Fire Authority, Ms Alutakua is also encouraging families to take fire prevention seriously, particularly in the kitchen.

“Prevention is protection. We need to be very careful with everything that we’re doing around us,” she said.

She hopes to use the Hibiscus platform to help people better understand the NFA’s wider emergency response work, which includes road accident rescue, urban search and rescue and swift-water rescue.

But for Ms Alutakua, her journey at Hibiscus comes back to one simple message — giving young people hope and reminding them to believe in themselves.

“They already have it. I’m just here to remind them to tap into what God has destined and instored for their lives,” she said.

As she prepares to take the stage at Albert Park, Ms Alutakua hopes her own journey — from her Solomon Island roots to representing the NFA — will inspire other young people to discover their purpose, develop their talents and make a difference in their communities.