SRC Update
Future Leaders Conference!
On Friday the 27th of May Fort Street hosted the Future Leaders Conference, one of Sydney’s largest inter-school leadership events that the SRC is proud to organise. The conference was first run in 2021 to inspire and guide youth leadership, and this year, over 330 student leaders from over 45 public secondary schools across New South Wales attended – thank you to all the amazing public schools who travelled from far away to join us!
This year’s theme was “Strong Minds, Strong Leaders”, focusing on giving young leaders the practical tools to address and overcome the inevitable challenges they will face.
For our morning session, Year 11 Fortians joined the SRC and guest students to listen to keynote speakers Mack Murphy, Bella Cini, and Mark Loughran, then had the opportunity to ask questions about their own direction for the future. Mack Murphy opened the conference with an engaging presentation about his experience at National Leadership Camp that opened up a path to his own role as Lead Facilitator of Youth Leadership Academy Australia, then shared some takeaways on how good leadership is authentic, self-aware and supportive of others. Bella Cini from Batyr Australia (pronounced buh-tier) then took the spotlight, sharing her powerful lived experiences of mental health and encouraging us all to take care of ourselves and our mental health. Mark Loughran, Head Instructor at Australian Martial Arts Academy and returning speaker, finished off the morning session with an inspiring keynote about his ongoing journey with chronic fatigue, and demonstrating that new passions are available for all of us, no matter what age.
After a short morning tea, filled with opportunities to connect and take cute photos at our FLC photobooth, the day continued with a compelling panel session facilitated by the incredible facilitator Dr Sunil Badami, and conducted with panel members Andrea Muras, Hunter Karam, Emily Brown and Jess Miller. Andrea Muras amazed us with her anecdotes and experiences as a HR leader and psychologist, and Hunter Karam provided insight into the world of mental health and importance of routine as the founder of Mental Fitness Collective, an amazing Australian charity. Emily Brown, a registered counsellor from Batyr, told us all about her advocacy for female rights neurodiverse-informed approaches to mental health, and as Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, Jess Miller was a definite yes when it came to answering the many, many insightful questions asked by guest students on the day. We felt so inspired by their experiences, tidbits and takeaways on empowering mental health as leaders, and thank Dr Badami for running such an entertaining panel for the fourth year in a row.
After a delicious lunch of classy snags and pasta salads, Fort Street’s Year 10 and 11 leaders ran the afternoon session of leadership workshops. Beginning with well-met icebreakers such as Blind, Deaf, Mute, we discussed solutions to mental health pressures that leaders face and recognised real-life leadership struggles through deductive games. Many thanks to all guests who enthusiastically participated in these activities with spirit and humour, and to the student facilitators who made these sessions run so seamlessly. Finally, we wrapped up the day with an exciting scavenger hunt around the school, finishing at the sandstone steps on the Oval where we ended the Conference with a group photo. What an amazing day!
The Future Leaders Conference was a free-of-charge event that aimed to be accessible to all public schools, providing morning tea and lunch to all guest students. We thank the P&C and Australian Martial Arts Academy for supporting this event and covering the costs for the Future Leaders Conference. We would also like to give enormous thanks to Ms McMurray, acting principal Mr O’Neill, Mr Sherwin, Ms Dunn, Mr Shakibaei, Mr Leondios, Ms Druery, Ms Long, and all the office staff for their tremendous help with this event and continuous support of the SRC.
SRC Execs 2025/26
