Port Phillip Youth Summit
On August 1st, we had the fantastic opportunity to attend the 2024 Port Phillip Youth Summit. This allowed us to gain insight into the careers of members of the Port Phillip council, who were there to help facilitate discussions and prompt and introduce new ideas. The Youth Summit provided us with the ability to have a say in what occurs within the City of Port Phillip and present solutions to council for issues from a youth perspective. During our time at the summit, we were able to develop our youth leadership and advocacy skills in an environment that differs from school.
The event brought together young people, members of the community and council staff to brainstorm, develop and present recommendations to improve the Council. Through meeting a range of young people from a variety of schools, we were able to form new connections and collaborate with local services and like minded individuals to advocate for a range of issues that needed to be addressed. The five key topics - Arts & Culture, Climate Change, Inclusive Communities, Health and Wellbeing and Environment & Transport - allowed us to focus on the issue that we were most passionate about.
Being grouped into different groups based on what we prioritised, we were able to converse with other young people who had similar values to us. Panellists for each topic helped introduce us to concepts, inspiring us to develop our ideas. These panellists were experts in their fields, and were willing to answer any questions posed by curious young people. This initial discussion aided our brainstorming of an array of ideas to put forth to Council. After this, we voted for the strongest ideas and received feedback from other groups. During this creative brainstorming and refinement process, we were able to suggest changes and solutions in a supportive and encouraging environment, further developing our understanding of civics and citizenship.
The break before the final presentation of ideas, was filled with visiting a range of networking stalls which allowed us to expand our community connections and learn about further opportunities within the district. This allowed us to engage with other members of the community and see what they are doing to make Port Phillip more sustainable and liveable.
During the final presentations, group members were able to nominate themselves to speak in front of their peers and members of the Port Phillip Council to present their final ideas. This improved our public speaking skills, as well as leadership skills and self confidence, increasing our awareness of civics and citizenship as we listened to all of the speakers and strategies that they would like to be implemented.
The Port Phillip Youth Summit of 2024 was an incredible experience which helped to broaden our community connections and showcase the school values of responsibility, compassion, community and growth in the areas which we explored throughout the day.
Hannah T (10H)
I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Port Phillip Youth Summit, where we delved into the pressing issues facing our city and brainstormed innovative solutions. In our topic-based groups, we participated in a panel discussion, gaining valuable insights from highly experienced experts in our topic. We tackled big issues, discussed what needs to be done, and explored actionable steps to create meaningful change. These discussions fueled our group workshops, where we collaboratively identified the top priorities within our topics.
After a delicious lunch, we returned to develop practical solutions to the challenges we had identified earlier. Select students then had the privilege of presenting these solutions directly to the council, offering our perspectives on how to address these critical issues. The summit concluded on a high note with an amazing rap performance.
Attending the summit was an unforgettable experience. I loved the chance to contribute to the future of Port Phillip by sharing our ideas with the council. It was truly inspiring to hear from the panellists, not just about their impressive life experiences, but also their thoughtful perspectives on the issues we were working to solve. Collaborating, networking, and presenting alongside students from so many different schools was both rewarding and fun. Overall, the 2024 Port Phillip Youth Summit is the first of many to come.
Claire L (10B)