On Monday I had the privilege of representing Independent schools from across New South Wales at the first National Student Voice forum.
Three representatives from each state (one for Independent schools, one for Government schools and one for Catholic schools) came together on Zoom to discuss the importance of student voice within our own local communities, but also the importance of representing the voice of young people within Government, about issues that directly impact our lives.
As we are aiming to establish a permanent board that advocates for student voice, we had to lay the foundation for what we thought we should stand for and engage with. We discussed what is already being done on a local level to recognise and engage the voice of students within our communities and whether the structure of these pre-existing boards could be reciprocated on our own. We discussed the importance of diversity in representation to ensure that everyone feels that they have been represented and heard. This led to ideas about how we can bring people with us, instead of running ahead by ourselves, so that they feel like they can have a direct impact and be informed about what is happening. This led me to think of some great ideas about how we as a leadership team can engage more with Student Voice at Thomas Hassall this year!
Overall it was a great afternoon and I’m excited to see how the work we did on Monday can hopefully impact generations of students to come!
Joshua C
College Captain
