Young Leaders Summer School - a transformational experience!
Sunday 12 July
In the midst of a chilly Melbourne winter, the Young Leaders’ Summer School generated plenty of energy at Trinity! From 29 June–12 July, twelve high school students travelled to Melbourne from countries such as Indonesia, China, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand to take part in this comprehensive program emphasising leadership and independent thinking, and providing a taste of residential College life.
Upon arrival, the students discovered they were in for a full schedule of public speaking, exploration of persuasive techniques, and leadership training. Dr Maureen Vincent’s course, ‘The Psychology of Persuasion’, was a resounding success and even inspired some students to declare an interest in pursuing further study in Psychology.
‘Dr Maureen Vincent’s lectures were so inspirational,’ said Patsy Cornelia Budiman from Ghandi Memorial College in Jakarta, Indonesia. ‘Now I know more about the psychology of people and how the human brain works. As a result, I am considering studying psychology at university.’
Training with Circus Oz
Despite their busy academic schedule, the students still had an expansive extracurricular program that included a Bollywood dancing class, attending an AFL footy match at the legendary MCG, and training with Circus Oz. ‘I was really scared of flying on the trapeze, but I’m proud of myself for doing it,’ said Sally Butler, an expatriate Australian who lives in UAE. In addition, the students sampled Melbourne’s cultural offerings through visits to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, the Queen Victoria Market, and numerous trips to Lygon Street for world-class gelati.
Everyone was prepared for engaging academic sessions and the fun of extracurricular activities. What many students did not plan for, however, was building lifelong friendships with people from different cultures—even within Australia. Cyril Johnson, an Indigenous student from St Ignatius Riverview in Sydney, found Summer School an invaluable experience. ‘I was really scared about coming, but I feel that now I have more understanding of other people’s cultures.’
Public speaking during leadership sessions
As the Summer School drew to a close, it became clear to all what a transformational experience this had been. ‘I didn’t expect to become so close to everyone here—I’m not ready to go home yet,’ said Alvina Urusula Tjandra from Indonesia, while Hee-Su Jang from Shanghai, China, was surprised by how quickly they had come to understand each other. ‘We were able to talk freely about things like racism and feel comfortable,’ he said, adding: ‘There was an excessive amount of laughter over these two weeks. I even laughed until I cried!’.
Jack Mitchell, from St. Joseph’s College in Geelong, perhaps summed it up best: ‘If Summer School is like Uni, I’m going to Uni!’
Kimberley Stone
Summer School Assistant