Student Leadership Conference 

Dream and Lead Student Leadership Conference

On the 28th of February, we, went to the 2023 Dream and Lead Student Leadership Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.  The conference brings Victorian school leaders together to build their confidence and resilience and inspire them to use different skills in their schools. 

The speakers, Bonnie and Amanda were entertaining whilst the CEO of Youth Leadership Academy Australia, Wil Masara (with us in the photograph above) talked about his experiences as a leader.  Talia was also a guest speaker who talked about being resilient and never giving up.  The day was amazing, inspiring and FUN!  We travelled to the city in a maxi taxi with Tanya and Mrs Wood. Read on to find out what our student leaders have to say about the event.

Siddig

From my experience at the Student Convention, we learnt that your age doesn’t determine your ability to achieve extraordinary things, which means that at any age, you can achieve anything you desire.  I hope that anyone who is reading this will strive to achieve their best.  Don’t give up if there is something you want to achieve!

Chloe

The convention was fascinating.  There were many things that I learnt, but something that I found interesting was that there are many ways to engage the attention of an audience.  For example, if you say to the audience, ‘Clap one time if you can hear me,’ this will make it fun for children. I hope we can try some of these strategies when we need everyone’s attention at assemblies or events.

Aliah

I was inspired about how important it is to set goals. You can set goals so you can achieve what you want but sometimes it can be hard to persevere or make it a priority if you don’t write it down.  So, if you set a goal, write it down and you will have a much better chance of achieving it.  I personally started writing my goals down since the wonderful student convention, and it has helped me a lot, and I mean A LOT!

Austan

I learnt that when you want to become a leader, you have to be prepared to go first, even if you are nervous.  You have to try your best, even if you’re not feeling confident or comfortable about speaking to a large audience, for example. You have to be brave and be prepared to be a great role model for younger children or anyone.  

Zyanya

The conference was pretty cool!  The stage was amazing and the speakers taught us lots of ways to become better leaders.  During the conference, they talked about comfort zones, and that it’s important to step out of our comfort zones.  Then, something really funny happened.

I noticed that there was a mathematical error in their data display.  I put myself out of my comfort zone and put my hand up.  I usually don’t like to be the centre of attention.  The speaker came over to me as I was sitting in the front row.  I told her that the data didn’t make sense because it didn’t add up to 100%.  She thanked me (lol) and the entire auditorium of 1400 people had to yell, ‘THANK YOU KEVIN!’  It was so funny. 

Have a look at the photos!

Kevin

My experience at the Melbourne Convention Centre was great.  I learnt how to be a better leader and that it’s really important to lead in different ways.  I like that you can lead alongside others so that you can support them.  Listening to students is important and asking them for their opinion helps to know what their ideas are so we can represent them.

Evan

I learnt a lot of things while being at the leader’s conference at the Convention Centre.  I really enjoyed the way the speakers and guests got everyone involved. It was very entertaining.  I honestly didn’t want to leave because I was learning a lot about student leadership in a fun way.

Isabella