Youth Leadership Conference 2024

Christway College - Wyndham student leaders attended the Primary Youth Leadership Conference at Melbourne Convention Centre on 12 March 2024. Our student leaders were accompanied by Miss Courtney Hutton, Head of Primary.

Our student leaders share their reflections.

A Spectacular Conference (Arjun, Primary Captain)

On Tuesday 12 March 2024, all of the School captains and vice captains from our school attended the spectacular conference at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. All of our students were able to scaffold their leadership capabilities and share their experiences. It was lovely to meet the following presenters: Amanda Marshall, Skye Hughes, Trent Dennis Lange and Wil Massara. At the conference, we were able to share our learnings and hobbies with people from other schools. I learnt how to solve problems, how to always take a chance, loved one another and much more.

The Young Leaders Australia (YLA) team had a great performance and I loved how they put a smile to everyone’s face. One thing that stood out to me the most, was the amazing quote written by Wil Massara “Your age does not determine your ability to achieve extraordinary things.” I also learnt how to have resilience, having agency of our own mistakes and also to try something new and step out of my comfort zone. So I would like to thank everyone from the YLA for setting this up for our future leaders and everyone who also helped.

Being a Leader (Yuktha, Primary Captain)

All the primary school leaders attended a leadership training session on 12th March. This is to enhance their leadership abilities and to learn about new ways in coping with challenges that they might face during their leadership. Personally, I enjoyed this program and learnt about new ways to solve problems. I also made some new friends from other schools and shared with each other our ways of coping with issues that occur in school. I feel like this was a wonderful opportunity for us as we learnt many new skills and techniques on how to cope and solve demanding situations.

When we entered the conference room, the YLA team encouraged us to take a sticky note and to write about our point of view of the word “Leadership.” After this, we were advised to set a goal as this will help us during the conference. It was then presented on how a leader is and what characteristics they have. A leader is someone who overcomes their fears and does it anyway for the benefit of their peers. A leader is being your true self and leading the way you want to.

I learnt many skills and techniques in the conference such as the stop pause play technique. Many famous speakers came to the conference such as Skye Hughes, Trent Dennis Lane, Amanda Marshall, and Will Massara. Each of them gave an inspirational speech about their career and experiences in life. They also gave techniques in handling emotions and feelings. Overall, I personally enjoyed the dream and lead conference as it helped me learn and understand what a leader is. It also gave me a clear understanding of how I can serve my community and how I can offer my best.

You are Worthy of Being Unique (Rishitha, Primary Vice Captain)

In my opinion, the conference was an incredibly dynamic and thrilling event, which I am incredibly grateful to be able to attend. It brought together student leaders from all across Victoria, totaling to about 1,800 attendees. Throughout the conference, I learnt valuable things on topics such as being your true self, taking a chance, about resilience and so much more.

Some key takeaways that stood out to me: Being your true self means trying not to fit in by changing yourself because you are worthy of being unique. Taking a chance is sacrificing certain things to take a big opportunity out of our comfort zone. I will take all that I have learnt and apply it into my leadership role and do whatever I can do to help this school become a better place.

Frustration + Passion = Inspiration and Inspiration + Agency (freedom and power) = Creating a change. This is the formula for a leader who strives to bring about positive transformations.

A quote that really inspired me and motivated me was “Your age does not determine your ability to achieve extraordinary things” -Wil Massara. The conference provided me with helpful insights on enhancing my leadership skills and personal growth.

Unforgettable Experience (Divit, Primary Vice Captain)

It was a privilege to attend the Dream and Lead conference. A highlight of the conference was meeting former AFL player Trent Denise Lane, he talked about taking hate as motivation which would be useful for people who do sports.

Amanda and Bonnie made everything fun and very easy to understand what leadership means and to understand others.

Meeting other leaders was also good. I met a leader named Mark, and we had a lot in common. Meeting the CEO was also great, his name was Will Massara and he was very smart when talking about leadership, and I could never forget his quote. To wrap up the Dream and Lead conference was unforgettable.

Important Dates