On Monday 27th February, Heathdale Christian College hosted the Christian Leadership Conference, where 16 schools/campuses were represented from all over Victoria – from as far as Shepparton! There were over 260 Year 6 students, with 22 of those students being from our Werribee and Melton campuses. It was a full day which saw the student leaders enjoying a variety of sessions ranging from devotions to worship, games, reflection, prayer and sessional learning.
In Session 1, student leaders learned what the qualities of a Christian leader are. They reflected on being caring, inclusive, serving, humble and curious. All of this links into our own desire at Heathdale for students to feel safe, be treated with dignity, feel they belong, to believe and become who God wants them to be, and ultimately to serve. Students discussed the differences between personality and character and how we can develop our characters to speak up, cultivate kindness, influence, and promote our school values.
In Session 2, student leaders learned about backwards leadership. This was about how leaders often behave differently, in a good way, to what we expect. Students learned that actions speak more than words and explored the significance of being sacrificial and faithful. These all linked to different people in the Bible and how God shows us through His Word what it means to be a Christian Leader.
By the end of the day, all students learned how they can make a difference, especially in the lives of our schools.
I would like to give a special thanks to Daniel Lee, Rebecca Puopolo and Joanna D'Souza for setting the CEN/CSA leaders up for success and facilitating the day.
Here are some thoughts from a few of our Year 6 Leaders:
“My highlights were getting to discuss leadership questions and learning about backwards leadership. It was an honour to learn so many tips and stories from the leaders present and I really look forward to being like them and doing kind and helpful things. I have learned so much about leadership and I can't wait to use the information we learned in my daily life.” Annabelle P.T.
“We danced in front of everyone on stage. We played fun games like rock paper scissors. We had lots of lollies and snacks for the conference. I got to meet new people.” Dehein A.
“The conference was super amazing! We had to do actions for the song ‘One Way’ on stage in front of a lot of people. I also learned lots about leadership. My highlights were being able to greet other student leaders from different schools across Victoria at the front door by welcoming them as they entered into the Werribee Baptist Church and also being able to learn more ways to show leadership. I can't wait to use these new leadership skills to help me improve with my role at school.” Mikayla H.