November 7, 2014
Young leaders converge to talk social responsibility and creating change
More than 200 high school students from 65 schools across the region wrapped up a three-day leadership forum at UOW recently (5 November) with a message to change the world through “indignation and compassion”.
Tropfest Managing Director Michael Laverty (front) spoke with high school students about social change and leadership.
The UOW-hosted Elevate Young Leaders forum was held over three separate days for year 11 students from southern Sydney to the south coast.
UOW student leaders undertaking leadership training with the UOW’s Centre for Student Engagement led participants through the Elevate program. Together they discussed leadership qualities that would help in inspiring action, being socially responsible and creating change.
Students attending were identified by their schools as leaders within the school and community and planned to attend a university immediately after completing high school.
Michael Laverty, Managing Director of the world’s largest short film festival, Tropfest, who has a long association with community programs including many years working with marginalised young people in South Africa, delivered a keynote speech on the final day.
Mr Laverty migrated from South Africa in 1999 and has managed the Tropfest festival since 2002. During his time in Apartheid South Africa, he was a part of Edutrain, where 60 students, all from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds board a train for a 10-day journey for a leadership development program.
He said meeting the students was also inspiring for him and he provided a few words of wisdom for their path ahead.
“I told them they have a story,” Mr Laverty said. “Mine involves a long history of activism and working with marginalised youth. Everybody has a story to tell and they have an opportunity to build their own story in life.
“These young people are change-makers, the catalysts. It’s exciting to see and this next generation of leaders will change the world. They need to find their role, not just focus on themselves but find their place in the community, in whatever meaningful way that is for them.”
Mr Laverty said great leaders possessed two qualities: indignation and compassion, qualities he had seen from former post-apartheid leader of South Africa Nelson Mandela.
“With indignation, what they see they can no longer tolerate and they act,” he said. “Yet without compassion, indignation leads to extremism and intolerance. You need to have the courage to respond compassionately and gently and work with them.”
Isaac Astill, the 2013 Bob Brown Young Environmentalist, delivered the closing keynote speech.
Sam Gardener, year 12 student and a school captain at Mt Annan High School in Sydney’s south-western suburbs, said: “Being able to hear other people’s stories about dealing with their challenges and getting their advice was amazing.”