Young Leaders in the Making

Some of the brightest young female students from Australia, New Zealand and Asia will come together on the Gold Coast this week for an event that organisers say will help forge international connections and develop leaders of tomorrow.

The 160 girls from member schools of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia will converge on Bond University, on the Gold Coast for the 16th annual Student Leadership Conference.

Students from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Philippines and Singapore will join their colleagues from Australian girls’ schools in the five-day residential conference, which will help shape their futures.

The girls are all school leaders about to begin their final year of secondary school.  Some of the schools represented include Abbotsleigh in Sydney; St Stephen’s Girls’ College, Hong Kong; Westlake Girls High School, Auckland and St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School, Brisbane. 

The conference program has been designed specifically for this exclusive cohort of young female leaders. Based on research and feedback from past attendees it responds to the challenges faced by girls on their leadership journey.

The girls are engaged in a range of activities designed to develop leadership capabilities, resilience and an understanding of themselves and their leadership styles. 

An innovative spin-off of The Amazing Race will see “tribes” head to Surfers Paradise to complete an array of point scoring challenges. And a modification of Donald Trump’s The Apprentice will stimulate creativity as students recognise the value of working together as a team and the importance of delegation and trust.

“The conference focuses on developing leadership capability and assisting young women to manage the responsibilities of leadership. Each year as the girls return to their schools, they claim that they have had a life-changing experience,” said Judith Poole, President of the Alliance of Girls' Schools Australasia.

“The program simulates the way girls will operate in leadership teams within a school context”.

An esteemed line-up of inspirational Australian women including Layne Beachley, seven-times world surfing champion; Deborah Thomas, one of Australia’s most successful magazine editors; and Robyn Moore, motivational speaker and voice of Blinky Bill will present keynote addresses.

“Bond is privileged to be hosting our partner’s student leadership conference,” said Bond University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor, Pathways and Partnerships Ms Catherine O’Sullivan.

“The conference provides a unique platform to shape the notion of leadership for these young women. We cannot wait to witness the impact these remarkable school leaders will have on their school communities during their senior year, and no doubt well into the future,” said Ms O’Sullivan.