KITE

Courage in Thought Leadership: Translating Philosophy into Action

Courage, as they say, is contagious. People who have had the courage to change their societies inspire each other and create rights for future generations.

Amal Clooney, Human Rights Barrister 

The beginning of Term 2 has demonstrated our school’s commitment to thought leadership. From our staff day focus on Artificial Intelligence, our student-led interschool Model UN competition, and contributions at the International Coalition for Girls' Schools symposium, our “courage” has been “contagious.”

Last term, we explored the ethical challenges of Artificial Intelligence, ensuring an understanding of the concerns that arise in unregulated technologies programmed to respond to and perpetuate biases. To move from caution to confidence - and to engage deeply with the role AI will play in our students' world - Leon Furze facilitated a day of workshops that highlighted the opportunities this assistive technology provides. As we finalise our Digital Strategy, under the guidance of Leader of Digital Innovation and Strategy Ms Olga Ibrahim, we remain committed to equipping our girls with the knowledge needed to be future thought leaders in this space.

While teaching staff engaged in professional learning, Zara Dempsey and Ziva Mortimer turned their idea of an interschool Model UN competition between girls’ schools into a successful reality. Demonstrating a willingness to lead an unprecedented initiative, the Year 12 leaders hosted over 80 students from Kambala, St Catherine's, KRB, and Ascham in a simulation of a United Nations conference focused on global issues affecting women. Zara and Ziva, who describe the event in more detail below, embodied our belief in students' capacity to contribute to discourses that “create rights for future generations.”

With our campus abuzz with our onsite professional learning, we also had a strong representation at the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools Symposium at Queenwood. In addition to approximately 15 attending staff, Jane Danvers (Principal), Samantha Gooch (Deputy Principal - Pastoral Care), Hattie Wilson (Co-Lead Mathematics), Samantha Nahum (History), and Greta Beaumont (Head of English) presented on a variety of outstanding educational initiatives that position Kambala as a leading girls’ school. Jane Danvers and Samantha Gooch provided insight to the complex community collaboration that informed our Kambala Philosophy for Dispositional Learning. Meanwhile, Ms Wilson and Ms Nahum presented their research and findings on the interrogating ideas of leadership in the classroom, and Ms Beaumont centered the teaching of dispositions as the key to unleash brilliance in all students.

We are confident that we have set the tone for Term 2 to be one where we embrace challenge with agility and courage.

Ms Lauren Walsh

Director of KITE

Kambala Model United Nations Conference

On Monday 28 April, we hosted our inaugural Interschool Model UN Conference. With topics ranging from Maritime Piracy to Education Access for Women, students engaged in important debates on seen and unseen resolutions, debating amendments such as enforcement mechanisms or funding. At the end of each session, the students voted on the final, amended resolution. 

During the last session of the day, we chaired a UN General Assembly where delegates brought up fun proposals such as a Worldwide Annual Hunger Games and Colonising the Moon. We are so proud of all the girls who participated in the conference. Special mentions to Bonnie Zheng (12), Mingyui Wu (9), and Claudia Gerber (11) for earning the title of “Outstanding Delegate”. We encourage anyone interested in joining Model UN Club (Monday lunchtime, H13) to email Zara or Ziva. Model UN doesn’t require any prior experience or knowledge - all is built up through activities and games held during club meetings.

An extract from our opening ceremony speech is below:

We decided to host MUN because we believe that the voices of young women matter, and they matter right now. The world is facing huge challenges: climate change, rising conflict, economic uncertainty, global inequality. It’s easy for students our age to feel overwhelmed. But MUN offers something different: a way for us to step forward, engage, and begin to understand not just the problems, but the pathways to change.

At its heart, MUN is about empathy, diplomacy, and collaboration across borders.

Today, you’ll each have the opportunity to step into the shoes of world leaders, seeing the world through new perspectives, building solutions, and learning the skills of negotiation and leadership. And just as importantly, you’ll be doing it with respect, courage, and open-mindedness, the exact skills the world needs more of today.

Despite the milestones that have been achieved with women in politics, women are underrepresented in global leadership. As of today, only 27 countries of the 195 have a woman as head of government or state. Only 26.9% of parliamentary seats worldwide are held by women. However, studies show that peace agreements involving women are 35% more likely to last 15 years, gender-balanced parliaments are more likely to pass laws on healthcare, education and gender equality, and countries with higher female political representation tend to have lower levels of corruption and stronger social policies. 

Whether this is your first MUN conference or your 10th, your voice matters. 

We encourage you to challenge yourself, speak up, listen deeply, and embrace every moment today. If you’ve ever thought about a future in politics, law, diplomacy, or advocacy, or even if you haven’t yet, today is an amazing time to start imagining what’s possible.

Zara Dempsey and Ziva Mortimer, Year 12