Youth Civics Leadership Day

2018 Youth Civics Leadership Day

On Monday 14 May, I was lucky enough to represent the College and take part in the Francis Burt Law Education Program (FBLEP). I was nervous at the beginning, as I was the only student from St Norbert College attending. The students from the schools were very warm and friendly; they welcomed me with open arms.

I was surprised to find that it wasn’t about law in its entirety, but was about knowing about the problems faced by today’s society and how to develop our leadership to solve these problems. In our first activity, we learnt about the Rule of Law, which states that nobody is above the law.  Without the Rule of Law, the world would be politically ‘devolving’ and many people would lose their rights. This was put into perspective when we heard Mr Ram Tin Thei talk about his experiences in Burma, having no rights because he was part of an ethnic minority.

We also heard from Ms Catrina-Luz Aniere, CEO of Millennium Kids, about the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development. She discussed Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and we discussed ways that the world could live in peace without discrimination.  An example is the Snake Project, run by Ms Jane Pompey, who explained how having a snake would stop discrimination against Aboriginal people by transit offices. I found this a fairly imaginative way of discovering equality, but it was a way that worked, so it helped to fulfil Goal 16.

Next, Paralympic world champion and 1999 Australian of the Year, Ms Priya Cooper, presented her story to us about winning numerous gold medals in swimming while being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. I found her speech the most influential moment of the day and I learnt that no matter what other people tell you, stick to your goals and you will get there and that if you are disabled, you should stop thinking about the things that you can’t do, but the things that you can do. I had lunch with young lawyers after that and they inspired me to choose a career not just because you can, but because you love where it leads you. Just those two moments alone made my day; they left me with a timeless memory I will never forget.

After lunch, we were given a Certificate of Participation by the Honourable Wayne Martin AC, Chief Justice of Western Australia, and took part in our last activity, which was the leadership workshop, led by Rob Weymouth. The workshop was based on numerous games that taught us the vital skills to being a leader in a fun and engaging way.

Overall, the FBLEP was a truly memorable experience for me, not only because I made so many new friends that day, but because I was able to take another step in my journey into Law and Leadership. I would personally like to thank the Law Society of WA and its affiliates, Dean Curtis and Michelle Davies, for organising the function, the guest speakers for the effort they put into inspiring us, and Dr Runco for organising my successful application to the program. The day was a day to remember and I would highly recommend this to anyone who has a spirit for civics, a love for law and a liveliness for leadership.

By Lorenzo Donatelli​ (Year 10 - K3)