More than 200 student leaders will be inspired to improve their school and local community’s wellbeing at a forum on Friday.
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Students from years five to eight from across the region will come together for the fifth annual Student Leaders Congress at Warrnambool’s Deakin University.
The congress aims to build the skills of young people in local schools and communities to become future community leaders.
Co-ordinator Simon Perry said the health and wellbeing theme would continue this year with students to hear from elite netballer Sarah Wall who began Netfit and Standing Tall youth mentoring program co-ordinator Matt Stewart.
He said Ms Wall would speak on the topic and how health plays a vital part in her Netfit netball program she devised, while Mr Stewart would highlight the benefits of the mentoring program and how it is another way of addressing health and wellbeing issues.
Mr Perry said a young person involved in the mentoring program would speak about how it helped him as part of Mr Stewart’s presentation.
“They’re two local people and leaders in the community that the kids can identify with.”
As part of the congress students determine a health and well-being issue in their community where they can make a difference.
They then host their own workshops and events, implementing real-life projects, to build their leadership skills.
“The focus is to inspire students to be leaders in their communities,” Mr Perry said.
The group will meet again in August to present their projects using a documentary of photos and videos.
Port Fairy Consolidated School principal Kath Tanner said her school leaders were looking forward to the congress and were already thinking about what they could implement.
“They’re keen to promote a healthy lifestyle and want to rebuild the bike shed to encourage more students to ride to school.
“It means something to them and they care for the school and the community.”
The focus is to inspire students to be leaders in their communities
- Simon Perry
Ms Tanner said the congress provided a rare opportunity for the region’s children to collaborate with other students.
“Well being is a really important element of what schools are involved in.”