Courageous Advocates is a new element of the Debating and Public Speaking program at the College. Broadly, it is a series of opportunities that are mostly non-competitive which allow students of all level access to experience events which develop their skills in a range of ways. Some of these include Leadership Summits, Model UN events, UN Youth and UNICEF initiatives, attendance at TED talks and so on.
The first of these occurred on the weekend where ten of our girls were involved in the UN Youth State Conference at Collaroy. One of the highlights was Assistant Head Girl Ashwini Aravinthan’s contribution as a guest speaker. Ashwini is a UNICEF Youth Ambassador, a role that has opened numerous opportunities for her to not only develop her own skills but also contribute to the growth of others.
Four students share their thoughts on what they enjoyed most about the Conference.
“The UN State Conference was a great opportunity to meet like-minded individuals from all over NSW and learn from each other. It was such a great opportunity to expand my knowledge in this year’s theme, Politics and the Economy, and get to do fun activities and workshops, such as interactive problem solving and Model UN.” - Haynin Lai (Year 11)
“A key thing I took with me was that, when it comes to politics and economics, there will always be two or more sides and opinions. Even though, something may seem straightforward its effects can vary from country to country which is what makes politics so complex.” - Krisha Avlani (Year 10)
“The Conference helped me work on my public speaking skills, debating skills and more importantly, communication skills. A highlight of this event was theModel United Nations debate which strengthened my understanding of how the leaders of our nations negotiate and invent various clauses and amendments. The Conference provided me the opportunity to make lifelong friendships and many memories which I will cherish forever.” - Ananya Karthik (Year 10)
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend the UN 2025 NSW State Conference. I was given opportunities to improve a variety of skills, namely critical thinking, understanding current affairs, and public speaking. One major highlight was the opportunity to listen to a panel of guest speakers including our very own Assistant Head Girl.” - Amariah Tamaro (Year 10)