From the 5/6 Classrooms
Inspiring Our Future Leaders: Boroondara Youth Leadership Forum
On Monday September 7, 20 inspiring Grade 6 students from Boroondara Park Primary joined 237 peers from ten local schools across the council area for a day dedicated to youth leadership and empowerment. With over 35,000 young people aged 10 - 25 living in Boroondara, events like these remind us just how capable, insightful, and impact-driven our kids can be when given the platform to lead.
The main takeaway of the day? Leadership isn't always about standing at the front of the room. True leadership is about active listening, supporting peers, and having the curiosity to ask the right questions rather than pretending to have all the answers.
To highlight the real-world impact young voices can have, students learned about the Boroondara Young Parliament team - the very group of young leaders who pitched a free public transport initiative to the Victorian Government and successfully saw the bill pass through Parliament!
Throughout the day, our students participated in three hands-on workshops designed to build practical life skills:
1. Communication
Students put their teamwork and active listening to the test. Through fast-paced activities like 'Quick Talk' (speaking for 30 seconds straight on topics ranging from tacos to weekend plans) and 'The Beast' (a drawing challenge relying purely on relayed descriptions), students discovered how clear messaging and active listening are key to effective communication.
2. Understanding Conflict Behaviours
In this session, students explored different conflict styles through animal metaphors:
Crocodile: Aggressive and confrontational
Mouse: Passive, pushing problems aside
Fox: Passive-aggressive and sly
Hyena: Scavenging in packs, joining in on "roasting" or "drama" instead of calling out bad behaviour
Dolphin: Assertive, balanced, and constructive
Students practised adopting the Dolphin approach using "I feel" statements to express emotions clearly and offer solutions (e.g., "I felt upset when you took the ball, but would you like to play together instead?").
3. Storytelling for Change
The final workshop highlighted the power of narrative. Students learned that while facts inform, stories connect us. Real change happens when we share experiences that evoke empathy and shared values. By learning how to tell meaningful stories, our students discovered how to influence positive changes in behaviour, culture, and community.
We are incredibly proud of our 20 student representatives. They returned to school energised, equipped with new skills, and ready to make a positive splash in our school community!
Interschool Primary Leaders Conference at Balwyn High School
On Friday September 4, two Grade 5 students and two Grade 6 students attended the Interschool Primary Leaders Conference at Balwyn High School. The conference was designed for student leaders across Years 4 - 6, with the aim of empowering young leaders from across our local community.
The event was led by student leaders from Balwyn High School, including several former Boroondara Park students, and was designed to:
- Build the capacity and confidence of young leaders
- Encourage interschool connections
Develop transferable skills in preparation for high school
Throughout the day, students participated in a range of activities, including icebreaker tasks, debating and public speaking workshops, writing and presenting a school proposal, creating ‘warm and fuzzies’ and a collaborative game of Skittles.
Our students were highly engaged throughout the day and gained valuable insights and skills to support their own leadership journey. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with students from other local schools and learn from the impressive student leaders at Balwyn High.
