Last Thursday, Maggie, Isabella, Sophie, Veronica, Natalie, Gabriella Year 11 students participated in the Together For Humanity Youth Summit at Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane.
The Summit, created by Together for Humanity and supported by the Federal Department of Education, provided a platform for students to voice their ideas on intercultural diversity, inclusion, and community cohesion to fellow participants, politicians, and community leaders.
Our students prepared a presentation on the theme Bridging to the Future: Navigating Identity and Differences Together, choosing the topic of Intergenerational Connectedness.
Fourteen schools from Queensland and the Northern Territory were in attendance, presenting a diverse range of topics that reflected the values and concerns of their students and communities. Witnessing the students confidently present and share their insights on complex social issues was truly inspiring.
The event began with a Welcome to Country by Derek Oram-Sandy on behalf of the Yuggera people. Students also heard from John-Paul Langbroek, Queensland Minister for Education and the Arts, and Jason Clare MP, Federal Minister for Education.
Our students demonstrated outstanding teamwork, leadership, and dedication in the lead-up to the Summit. Events like this are catalysts for creating meaningful change in the world.
Maggie, Year 11 provides her reflection of the experience.
"I was recently given the opportunity to participate in the Together For Humanity Youth Summit at Parliament House, alongside Sophie Lee, Gabriella Mollo, Veronica Ciobo, Natalie Nagy, and Isabella Iu.
Going into this experience, we knew it would be challenging to ensure our presentation and understanding of the topic were of the highest quality. However, from the beginning, we were able to collaborate effectively during our enrichment sessions as we developed our project on Intergenerational Connectedness.
Intergenerational Connectedness refers to the meaningful bonds built between different generations—where older generations pass down knowledge, skills, and wisdom that many younger people today miss out on. This often results from the breakdown of traditional community structures that once naturally supported these relationships. As a group, we strongly believed this is a valuable connection that needs to be reintroduced and strengthened in our society, starting with our own school community at QACI.
We would also like to thank everyone who responded to our survey on this topic. Your responses were instrumental in helping us understand why Intergenerational Connectedness is often lacking and how it can be revitalized.
Together, we devised a plan to raise awareness both within our school and in the broader community. During a collaborative brainstorming session with students from St Laurence’s College, we generated a wide range of practical solutions to help promote and implement this awareness and action. We recognised that real change must come from the community itself—it must be driven by the people and for the people. Deep, lasting connections can't be forced; they must be desired and nurtured.
Now that the Summit has concluded, the six of us are excited to explore ways QACI can take meaningful steps toward bridging this generational gap.
Overall, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent QACI and to be part of a campaign that has the potential to create real, lasting change in how we connect with others—especially across generations."
Article Maggie Williams - Year 11