Inter-school Student Leadership Conference 2018 – Comet Bay College and Baldivis Secondary College
By Madelyn Ball – Student Leader, Successful Nominee for 2019 Student Captain
Our recent Student Leadership Conference was truly inspiring.
Thanks to the range of guest speakers including Mel Luderer, David Karcheski, Alison Parolo, Jo Draper and Kirsty Lightfoot, I have gained further knowledge in a variety of areas which all link to creating the perfect presentation of what leadership is, and how to be a successful leader.
Over the course of the day of collaborating with Student Leaders from Baldivis Secondary College and actively engaging with the guest speakers, I have expanded my knowledge in the following:
Mel Lunderer – She explained to us that “who we are as a leader is how you lead”; that discovering who you are as a person causes you to lead in the way you lead best. Mel continued to speak to us as leaders about how credibility and integrity are the main attributes present within a leader. She concluded her speech by reminding us to not compare ourselves to our superiors, and to remember how unique each and every one of us are.
David Karcheski – He engraved into our minds these three steps to unleash the power of “No”:
- Define your goals and successes
- Establish your starting point
- Work out how to get from 2 to 1
These very steps, when used correctly, can be used to achieve a person’s goals. David then progressed to speak about the three Dis’s – Distractions, Discouragement, and Disruptions – and how their effect can corrupt a person’s goals. He finished his talk with re-stating the power and importance of using the word “No”. Using this word earlier on can allow important decisions which require a “Yes” to be made.
Alison Parolo – She began her speech with the statement “leadership isn’t a position, but a disposition”. Alison led us through the RECIPE to leading others and how it is always important to follow these traits to achieve leadership awesomeness. She left us leaders with two valuable points to always remember, which will guide us through our future years of leadership:
- Leadership isn’t about you, it’s about them!
- Know yourself!
Jo Draper and Kirsty Lightfoot – These ladies spoke to us about programs which incorporate and enforce leadership within the community; Change Maker Festival, Youth Encouragement Grant, and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. They then moved forward to speak about some key points to remember through a person’s development through a leadership role, such as stepping back and allowing others to grown and learn, to invest your time in others, having a clear vison and clear goals and to trust your team. Kirsty closed their presentation with a simple empowering sentence, “be the leader you want to be”.
Later in the day, Comet Bay and Baldivis students interacted and shared the way their leadership teams and schools run, explaining their involvement and impact on their designated schools.
Overall, the 2018 Student Leadership Conference was an amazing experience. I genuinely enjoyed the Conference, and found the lessons expressed to all Student Leaders important and valuable.