On Friday, 22 June, our senior leaders were invited to attend the LIFTED Leaders Forum. As a follow up to the LIFTED Leaders event in February, Bishop Vincent invited our students as a final opportunity for school leaders to speak with the leadership of the Diocese about their cares and concerns following thirteen years of Catholic education. The forum took a special ‘Year of Youth’ focus and provided some early Diocesan input for our contribution to the Plenary Council 2020.
Here is what our leaders had to say about the event:
“Today we were able to give our opinion on different topics to members of the CEDP such as social media, what God is asking us to do as Christians and also give feedback on areas of schooling and what we thought needed improving. It was great to hear about other schools and meet with other leaders as well as provide our opinions on what we thought worked well in schools and what we thought could be done better.”
— Andrew Smith, College Student Leader
“We were given various questions in which we worked together to come up with a final answer that addresses relevant concerns in today’s society. We found that we all had similar ideas in what we could implement to improve the Catholic education system. For example, as young people we agreed that often we will only do things if the outcome is beneficial for ourselves rather than doing things that is beneficial for others and that this is becoming a relevant concern in our society. We discussed the influences of social media among the youth and how we can use this to inspire others to act upon their faith and our involvement in social justice issues.”
— Brodie Chidgey, College Student Leader
“We were there giving constructive and positive opinions about the the approach on our education, how technology affects our learning, the impact of social media and what God is asking us to do. I really enjoyed this as we can voice our opinions to the people in power.”
— Justin Danao
“The conference was such a great way to get together and hear what everyone had to say. We all had to sit on tables with students from different schools. I enjoyed expressing ideas and finding new ways to enhance our Catholic faith, addressing social justice issues and how we can find solutions to resolve them through awareness in schools. Overall, it was a fantastic day to build leadership skills and get to know everyone!”
— Georgina Davies
