The National Young Leaders day program consists of talks, videos and interactive activities which explore what it means to lead yourself and others well in today’s world. Keynote talks are usually presentations from prominent people from many different walks of life. These leaders share their story and what they have learned about leadership from personal experience

Below is the students’ report on their trip to Sydney: 

Early Sunday morning we headed in lots of different cars to Sydney. We dropped our bags at the hotel and walked to China Town for lunch. Then we caught a bus to Circular Quay and looked for the Tank Stream that was used for Sydney Cove water in 1788. 

We caught a ferry to Manly and walked to the beach. It was fun with lots of people walking, swimming, jogging, playing beach volleyball and having fun. 

We had dinner at Manly and caught the ferry back to the city. The lights were on in the buildings and people were walking on the bridge. We got a train back to our hotel and went to bed - some of us did. 

The next day we got up at 6am and headed to the conference at Darling Harbour. It was huge with 6,000 students in one place. The speakers were great and we learnt all about leadership and empathy. 

We got to play a game with everyone, which was fun. It was a long drive home from the conference. 

We all had a great time and learnt so much. Thank you to Mrs Smith for taking us and organising it. Also thank you to all the parents who drove us down and spent the special time with us at this fantastic event. 

James W: The thing that I like about the Young Leaders Conference was the speakers. I liked to listen to Coen Ashton. He is a 16-yeatr-old boy with cystic fibrosis. He had a double lung transplant and his story was amazing. He rode a jet ski down the Murray River the first time in seven weeks then the next time in seven days.

Maddie: I learnt what a leader is. A leader is someone that steps up and takes responsibility. I also enjoyed learning that people are different and have different ways to show caring and being responsible. I also learnt that nothing cool, long lasting or great ever starts out that way. I was inspired by Coen Ashton - a boy who at 16 had to spend a whole year in hospital.

Helena: When we got to Sydney we caught a ferry to Manly. It was fun but a bit noisy. We also went to the Entertainment Centre and listened to five speakers. They were: Mike Martin, executive director of the Halogen Foundation; the Hon Bob Carr, past premier of NSW; Andy Griffiths, the funniest author ever and Ita Buttrose, former editor of The Australian Women’s Weekly and heaps of other stuff. Coen Ashton’s story was really touching.

Kasey: We went to a huge centre and had to listen to lots of people talk. We played a game with 6,000 students called pass the ball. It was so much fun and really funny.

Sharna: I learnt empathy is a key word to being a leader. I liked when the dancers came out and the singer as well. All of us learnt a Tai Chi lesson, which was fun.

Jordon: It was great to go to parts of Sydney that I have not been to before. I loved the conference and the entertainment at it.

Sebastian: I slept at the hotel and I had fun. Manly ferry was tops.

James D: Young Leaders was good and showed me how to be a leader. I learnt about empathy and putting myself in other people’s shoes. nothing great, cool or long lasting ever starts out that way!

Maria: The Young Leader excursion was really fun. We went to a food court in Chinatown, on a Sydney bus and ferry and went to Manly Beach. We headed back at night and got a train to our hotel. The conference was at the Entertainment Centre and was great. It was a long drive home.

Deanna: It was a great time and one of my favourite quotes is “Being different is a gift, not a curse”. It was great to hear all the speakers and all their stories of their lives.

Hayley: I loved the lot as it was fun and we did heaps. It was sad listening to Coen Ashton’s story but happy that he now has a good life. 

Max: Young Leaders was fun especially the Ferry Ride to Manly. I enjoyed the conference and listening to Coen Ashton’s story about his life and what he has achieved.

Daniel: At the National Young Leaders Conference I liked to listen to all the speakers but Coen Aston and Andy Griffiths were the best and most interesting.

Abbey: I liked the Young Leaders conference as we went to Manly and saw Manly Beach. The speakers were great. Our accommodation was good and I enjoyed seeing the great sites of Sydney. It was fun to experience it with my friends.

Jessica: I had a great time. I had lots of fun in Manly and the train and hotel were awesome. Just staying with my friends in a hotel room was lots of fun.

Natalya: I liked that we could all get together and see all the different opinions of all the five speakers that spoke to us. They told us their great leadership ideas. I had fun.