Agency and Empowerment: Leading at and beyond school

On 13 March, a group of six Aitken students, together with College Chaplain, Rev Gavin Blakemore and Head of Religion and Values Education Faculty, Mrs Anne Zugan, joined 70 Year 10-12 students at Wesley Place.

Agency and Empowerment: Leading at and beyond school, gathered students from seven schools aligned with the Uniting Church. It invited young leaders to engage, learn and be inspired as they embark on their own leadership journeys.

The event featured a blend of inspiring keynotes and workshops organised in three sessions: Building Connections, Leadership Beyond Action, and Application At and Beyond School.

Guest speakers included Jacob Miller (2024 Elvie Munday Churchill Fellow) and Rev Brendan Byrne (Interfaith Chaplain Team Coordinator at University of Melbourne).

The students gained an understanding of the uniqueness of Uniting Church In Australia, with a reflection on the UCA Characteristics.

Noah Yang shared his inspiring story of founding and leading We Are Mobilise, an Australian charity focused on giving opportunities to solve homelessness in Australia. He encouraged students to take that first step to be their own difference.

Third Culture Australia, facilitated workshops and icebreaker activities to foster collaboration, connection and critical thinking in a fun and impactful way.

One of the highlights of the day was the final workshop, where students reflected on the key takeaways and worked together to brainstorm new initiatives for their schools. They transformed learnings in actionable plans. Students were motivated to embrace their leadership potential.

“One key takeaway I got is that if we want change, we need to have the courage to start… I really enjoyed it.”

Olivia (Year 11), Aitken College

UCA is committed to continuing fostering safe, engaging and impactful gatherings that empower students and equip them to become leaders of tomorrow.

Further events are scheduled this year covering a range of year levels and any students interested are encouraged to talk with Rev Blakemore or Mrs Zugan.

You can read more about the day on the UCA Website.