Leadership

Victorian SRC Congress

In the second week of the school holidays we attended the Victorian SRC congress held at Ormond College at Melbourne University. Congress is a camp dedicated purely to student voice through student leadership and representation. In this yearly collaboration, more than 200 student delegates travelled from rural and metro schools from all over Victoria to work towards real change.

 

The program started off with several thoughtful pitches, identifying potential issues to be discussed and developed in our chosen action groups. Once the top 12 pitches were voted on, we spent the rest of the 3 days working on locating the main issues, their effect on our schooling communities and the ideal solution. It was amazing to see that all our hard work wasn't wasted and that we got to present our issues-to not only the rest of the delegates but also members of the public, including government officials such as the Minister of Education, the Hon. James Merlino, MP. There was even an electoral opportunity for those who wished to become a part of the new Vic executive team. The newly elected exec team of 15 students will work on our top 5 chosen issues of 2018: Gender Equality, Changing Language Changing Attitudes, Equal opportunity for rural schools, Discrimination and Transparency, until the next congress to achieve real results.

 

And when we weren't working in our action teams, we were participating in various workshops like SRC Tools of the Trade, Creating Change 101, Zine-making and much more. There was also the option of a morning walk or yoga for those adventurous enough to wake up at 7am. On the first night there was a game night (won by our group) and the second night the gala dinner: Four Decades (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s) One Night. The experience was indescribable.

 

The Vic SRC congress has already made immense progress with the newly launched student voice hub, a website that allows students to share experiences and other ideas regarding improving their schooling.

 

Not only was the location of the congress amazing with its Hogwarts vibe, but the people there were even more incredible. An extraordinary experience we’ll never forget. Can’t wait till next year!

 

Nazanin Jalali  Joanna Angeletos Year 10