Year 7 and 8 Emerging Leaders Forum at Melbourne University
On a rainy Friday in Week 4 of Term 3, our team of ten Auburn High School Year 7-8 students travelled to Melbourne University to participate in the Emerging Leaders Forum.
We began our work preparing for this excursion last term. We were involved in online sessions where we studied the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals. We examined how we, as young leaders, can target these issues at our own school. The AHS team picked SDG 6 – clean water access and sanitation – as our goal.
Limited access to water can put students at risk of dehydration – which can lead to lower learning outcomes, increased mental stress and a rise of plastic bottle usage which promotes littering and an unhealthy environment.
Our school has recently made progress installing several drink tap stations around campus, which are useful for both staff and students. As a team of emerging leaders, we considered ways that we could encourage more students to use these taps, bring re-usable water bottles, and promote regular hydration among students.
Attending the Emerging Leaders Forum helped us connect with other schools who are examining similar issues and taking leadership. At the excursion, we had a chance to interact with and learn from a number of other school students around Victoria.
A highlight of this program was hearing from the guest speaker who spoke about her journey in music and leadership, showing how creativity can be a powerful tool in leadership. We concluded the day with a tour of the university and a group photo. Overall, the experience was memorable and left us with new perspectives on leadership and how we can implement them at our school.
The Emerging Leaders Forum was a valuable opportunity that explored various topics such as developing leadership, teamwork, and intercultural communication skills, as well as working on issues in our own local communities.
Written by Joanna and Aashna (Year 8) and edited by Ms Allen
Pictured: The team of Year 7-8 students with Ms Peña representing Auburn High School at the Emerging Leaders Forum in August
