School Student Leaders Report Week 6

A Word from the CTK School Captains- Emma and Henry

Last Wednesday, the CTK Student Leaders went to State Parliament for the Young Leaders forum and afternoon tea accompanied by Mr Hughes and Mrs Walsh.

During the afternoon we met a number leaders gathered by the state member for Hills Mr David Elliot. These role models included our State Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, Hills State member David Elliott, and leaders from the NSW Police, Emergency Services and the Royal Fire Departments. Students and school leaders form several school within Mr Elliot’s electorate also attended the forum.

Throughout this experience we heard some inspirational words and quotes. One that really stuck with us was: “You have two ears and one mouth. Therefore as a leader, you listen and absorb the information, and then you speak.” [ Deputy Commissioner of the Fire Service NSW] This means that as a leader, it’s just not enough to listen, but more importantly it is imperative to listen to your peers, and what they want, need and feel.

Another piece of advice given to us was “Take a chance as a leader, and make a change.” This was said to us by the Commissioner of The Royal Fire Service. This means that, as a leader, you need to be able to put a foot forward and take a chance. Nothing is going to be accomplished if you just sit back and do nothing about anything. We could relate this to another quote we had previously heard, which was, “I always wondered why someone didn’t do something about that, but then I realised I was the someone.”

Another inspirational quote that was said by the Deputy Commissioner of the Fire Service NSW was “It's always ok to say ‘no’ as a leader.” This meant that you need to do the right thing and keep everyone safe. As a leader we need to be caring though strong, which helped us to understand where these community leaders have come from and where they are today by guiding the community utilising their skills, experience and and their passion to serve others.

Overall, we had a really good experience at NSW Parliament House, and have been able to take a lot from it.

Emma M and Henry A, CTK School Captains 2019