National Student Leadership Forum » Past Delegate Reflections

A 2017 NSLF Reflection – Chris Thuring

Admin — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 01:29:40 +0000

I declared it to the congregation on that final morning, and five months on, I stand by it: The National Student Leadership Forum opened my heart. I will not go as far to say that in four days I learnt how to love; but I have no doubt that the small group sessions, the meaningful interactions, and the insightful presentations, provided the tools for me to develop my own language of love.

This has become increasingly apparent since leaving Canberra, and coming home to my friends and family. It was unsettling to realise that in four days, I grew closer to some delegates and facilitators, than some of my lifelong friends, and family. I felt that I owed it to those I cared about – and myself – to build stronger connections of love in all my relationships. I also wanted it with all my heart. Having shared my story, I felt that my exterior finally aligned with my internal thoughts, and that I had answers to the questions I avoided in my mind. I reached a newfound understanding of who I am, a love for myself, and a love for those around me. A love that felt no judgement, and that was sensitive to the feelings of others. Since that revelation, I have found that when you wholly know someone – including yourself – cynicism and resentment are replaced with understanding and love. After NSLF, all that was left was love, a love desperate to be shared.

Being inspired by the small group sessions, I arrived home to a family connected by the roof over our heads, but very distant by the emotional space between us. Maybe it was a healthy amount of naivety, or that I felt that my family were as much strangers to each other, as us delegates were on the first day of NSLF. Either way, I felt the urge to bring the beauty of small group sessions to my family. I was struck by the eagerness of my family to work at growing closer and to build love between each other. It made me think that we had always sought it, but did not know how to say, or make it. For the first time, every Monday without fail, I heard another family member’s story. It was not always easy; there were arguments, tears, tantrums, and shame, but it always felt right. Every single person around the table believed wholeheartedly that what we were doing was worthwhile, and that it was helping us grow closer as a family unit. I have grown to understand better why my parents and sister are the way they are, and the reciprocal for them, I am sure. Now we are more tolerant of our differences, say what we really think and feel, and know that if anyone should know the truth, it is our family. There is a far greater sense of love and closeness that we cherish, and seek to build upon every day. I am incredibly proud of my family, and so grateful to those who have nudged me from all different angles until it clicked.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the guidance of James and Katy-Rose Blackwood, who are so generous with their love and care. You are both fine role models and push me to build more loving relationships every day. Thank you also to NSLF, everyone involved has not only changed my life, but hundreds (if not thousands) of others through the amplifying effect of love.

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2016 Delegate Reflection by Eka Setiyawan

Admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 02:05:17 +0000

Becoming a good leader requires more than an impressive resume and a strong personality. There must be something in you that justifies the loyalty and commitment of those who follow.

Why NSLF?

On the 1st of September, 230 young adults from Australia and the Pacific Region had the opportunity to attend the 18th National Student Leadership Forum (NSLF) on Faith and Values at Australia’s Capital, Canberra. I think it’s important to seek opportunities to grow to a greater understanding with our peers, whether that would be through an internship, leadership position or forums such as these. I believe each of us who went were motivated to further improve our ability to lead and live for others through leadership development, thought-provoking discussions and activities alongside like-minded individuals. To learn what leadership is composed of: what I believe is being active; compassionate, and charismatic. This forum gave the chance to do just that in an environment where openness and transparency are encouraged, something that I value strongly; to share your story and listen to the story of your mates, engage in volunteering activities that add social capital to our local community and to see politicians in a different spotlight. To also learn more about how we better can use our faith and values to better serve our communities and in our vocation. This forum speaks more to your character than it does to your abilities or achievements.

What is NSLF?

NSLF is a four-day conference that brings young adults of diverse cultures from many different backgrounds – Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim and Buddhist and a large number with no religious background at all. This diversity is what enriches this forum. It is made up a variety of activities beginning late Thursday morning and concluding before lunch on Sunday. While the specific program varies from year to year, it includes a day spent in Parliament House (great for architectural photography), Keynote addresses from the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten; Keynote addresses by other inspiring men and women from varying walks of life, small group discussions, a local community service project, a sport and recreation afternoon, and an end of Forum dance night! One dimension of the Forum program that is always significant is the time spent in small groups that provide delegates with an opportunity to make life-long mateships.

What did I learn?

I strongly believe in the significance of faith and values as foundations for effective leadership as global citizens. I seek to embody this passion throughout my career as a future professional driven to find the next great-step change in my field. I must ask how my field can best benefit humanity and serve the world. This forum provided the platform to discuss and learn the views of other future leaders with a range of stances and backgrounds, and help solidify my understanding of what it means to lead with servant. I’ve internalised the message of giving and service and developed what those mean and the ways in which I can help others through my extracurricular experiences with UQ and the wider community. If I had to summarise the forum in three ideas, it would be:

1. Think big, act small – we all can do small acts with great purpose. We see all these opportunities to volunteer overseas and I think that isn’t always the best case when sometimes that opportunity is right in our neighbourhood. This may be simple as offering to help the elderly in doing their gardening (which is what exactly what we did during the forum). All our huge accomplishments are made of small, continued successes filled with perseverance. We make changes on the simple everyday interaction level, as well as planning for bigger, more tactile actions with our peers.

Members of Parliament have found just how challenging it is to be good leaders. It is easy, to begin with great idealism but to become disillusioned and cynical in the face of adversities and disappointments. That’s why our faith and values are so important: they are the inner resources that we draw from to become the right kind of leader and to keep our original vision alive.

2. Find an anchor point – life isn’t always a smooth sail, and when the storm comes have a foundation that we can go back to and reflect on that challenge. Our faith and values shape our moral compass and you don’t have to a religion to have a set of faith and values, it’s the way by which you live and act your life.

Being a servant leader cuts across the grain of personal pride and ego and none of us find it easy. In political life we often feel that we fail as much as we succeed! Nonetheless, it is so important to come back to these ‘first principles’.

3. Befriend wisely – they say, we are the five people who we are closest to; ask the question, are those five people, the people who you would like to represent you and vice versa? Nature or nurture they say, I believe who we are as a bunch of atoms derives from evolution (nature), though who we are intrinsically is a result of our environment and the people who we engage with (nurture). Having had the chance to move and live in three countries, primarily in Indonesia and Australia has taught me that our experiences shapes who we are, and it’s what we decide to do with those experiences that matter more. And as we grow to a greater understanding and hopefully wiser, our priorities change and so may our faith and values become ever more concrete/fluid.

It’s not about being the best in the world, it’s about being the best for the world.

Eka Setiyawan was a delegate at the 2016 Forum, nominated by Emmanuel College at the University of Queensland. We are grateful for his feedback and reflections.

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Reflections of a Student Leader

Admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 04:29:49 +0000

The following NSLF reflection was written by Jess Kelly, nominated to attend the 2015 Forum from Federation University.

“Leadership is the legitimate use of power to achieve outcomes on behalf of a group of people”

The National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values, held in Canberra over 4 days in September, was a melting pot of leadership styles, personalities, experiences and beliefs as young leaders from across Australia and around the world were encouraged to look beyond the label of ‘leader’, to what drives each of us to do what we do, to consider what it is to harness your faith and values into true servant leadership.

Over a short time immersed in talks from, and conversations with, passionate & experienced leaders from all sectors of our community, it quickly became evident that this was not an ordinary student conference. From the most well known of speakers including the Prime Minister and Governor General, to the valuable small group discussions with other delegates, an appreciation grew within each individual of what lay beneath our growing lists of commitments. To consider that behind each person there must be a grounding faith that the efforts they are investing are worthy, that each action is driving positive change, that each moment that you spend serving others, no matter how big or small, repays you and your community 10 fold is an empowering realization!

Too often we get caught up in the day to day rush of a modern life, in a dynamic world which is ever changing and expectant of us to keep up, to never drop the ball, to continuously build ourselves to be better…But rarely do we take or get handed the chance to pause, to reflect on what we’re truly interested in achieving with our one, important life!

NSLF was this chance on a silver platter, the opportunity to connect and share with like- minded individuals whom give you so much hope for the future of this lucky country!

To be pushed beyond quoting your resume, to the deeper responses of what it really means when someone asks you about you, was a confronting and eye-opening experience. As young people in an increasingly competitive workforce, we are often weighted with the need to constantly be preparing ourselves for the next step, to continually be resume builders in order to stand out from the crowd. And in a room of 300 student leaders that’s an intimidating crowd!! With the support of an extremely honest and welcoming small group, together we were able to explore our fears and our triumphs, our goals and our trials to become exponentially more aware of ourselves and our potential to be successful Servant Leaders. While many lessons will continue to become evident from NSLF over time, ultimately I walked away with a new mantra, a grounding statement to bring me back when I catch myself running ahead trying to beat the crowd…

“Take the time to establish and maintain deep and strong roots, in order for your branches to spread wide and be fruitful in the years ahead”.

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Community Mango Station Style

Admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 03:52:30 +0000

Each year, a group of past delegates and facilitators from the Forum head off the beaten path in search of community, adventure, long conversations and a way to put this idea of “servant leadership” into practice. This July, a group of us spent 2 weeks with friends on the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This piece is a short reflection submitted by one of the past delegates who participated.

For me, the Forum Bridging Initiative trip to Vanuatu was a great chance to experience life in a much more close knit community than the one I have at home. Although we were staying on the property of two lovely people, Joanna and Raphael, it really felt like we were staying with the whole village. There was always a buzz of activity as neighboring children played together in the backyard or all the village men would get together for a huge game of soccer down on the fields by the river.

A particular highlight for me was a night when the water in the village had been shut off. Our shower wasn’t working so a group of us decided we would all go down to the river to swim instead. It was dark when we got down there and we didn’t expect to see anyone else. However, it seemed like every child in the village had been sent down. The shore was packed with over fifty kids playing together by moonlight. They immediately accepted us into their games and we ended up having an incredible time diving into the pitch black evening water and splashing the kids who hadn’t yet made their way in. As we left all the kids stopped to wave and say goodbye. They had immediately accepted us into their community. Even though we were outsiders these children had made room for us in their lives. This was typical of our time in Vanuatu. All the villages we visited welcomed us into their community and made us feel instantly welcome.

The key thing I took away from the trip was how enjoyable and valuable it is to reach outside myself and engage with the people around me on a deeper level.

Title: Community Mango Station Style
Author: Past Delegate
Format: Reflection Piece
Year Published: 2015
Publisher: NSLF
Access: NSLF Online Library

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Entrepreneurship: Serving the World by Lydia Scott

Admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:34:22 +0000

This article written by Lydia Scott, currently based in Sydney, but a past delegate and facilitator from both the Aspiring Leaders Forum in New Zealand and NSLF in Canberra. Thanks ALF and Lydia for sharing!

Servant leadership is a phrase rather foreign to the startup world. I work in the entrepreneurial space, which is a world of ladder climbing, building ‘personal brands’, smashing sales targets and selling your vision. The thrust of this environment is toward the narcissistic promotion of self. In a space where there are hundreds of new innovative ideas fighting for customers and investment every day, to cut through and be heard you have to be good at promoting your credibility as an entrepreneur, and why your vision is worth investing in above all others. Even the most worthy of visions faces this challenge.

Not only that but the business world has earned a name for itself of being ‘Big Bad Business’. We’ve seen the engines of economics and capitalism result in some pretty harmful damage to people and planet – this is not servant leadership to me.

But despite these things, more recently I’ve begun to view entrepreneurship as a significant opportunity for leadership of the servant kind. To be an entrepreneur can mean using the engine of business to build things that matter and that drive the world forward. To me, this then presents a tension between having humility as a servant leader but needing to powerfully share your vision in order to see it realised.

I wrote in a journal about a year ago: “I don’t want to build something great just for the sake of being labeled ‘successful’ (whatever that means). I’d like to have my work in the business world motivated by a desire to build things that serve the world, leaving it in a more just and whole place than I found it.”

This all sounds very noble, but every day I feel that pull of narcissistic self-promotion in my professional life. And given we’re the same person inside work and out, I fear this flowing on into my personal life too. So I find myself asking, what does servant leadership authentically look like in the entrepreneurial sphere I find myself passionate about? I’m still early on into figuring this out. But here are three of my ponderings on how the current mechanisms of economics and business can have servant leadership at their core:

Servant leadership is values driven business. It is when business understands its role in the wider world and makes decisions in light of that. It’s when business ‘loves thy neighbour’. Business is made up of people after all, why do we think it is exempt from acting like one? There are a few buzz words emerging around this e.g. BCorps, shared value, triple bottom lines, social enterprise, profit for purpose, social procurement etc. Yes, these things should be celebrated but more than that, they should be encouraged until they become the status quo. These terms shouldn’t be a point of difference anymore. The day when this is assumed of business and we are shocked when a business makes a self-serving decision will be the day servant leadership is embedded at the core of capitalism.

Servant leadership is in how you manage your team. To grow a vision, every entrepreneur has to grow a team. It would be arrogant to acknowledge an impactful business is single handedly built by one person. Servant leadership is recognising and celebrating the hard work of your team, it’s putting their needs before your own self-glorification. My boss, whom I very much admire once told me, ‘when on-boarding a new staff member the first thing you ask is what they want to be on their resume by the time they leave the role.’ And then you spend their tenure serving them to a place of achieving that. I love that.

Servant leadership is starting a business in the first place because of the way it will serve and improve the wider world. In my job at the Club Kidpreneur Foundation we run a program challenging kids to identify a problem in the world around them and then come up with a product that will help solve it, backed by a sustainable business model. If the next generation can grow up with a perspective of business like that, then our world will be in the trustworthy hands of servant leaders.

This is servant leadership to me. It’s taking an everyday thing like entrepreneurship and asking how it can be used to live a life of service, motivated by love. I’d like to think that it is possible.

Title: Entrepreneurship: Serving the World
Author: Lydia Scott
Format: Past Delegate Reflection
Published: October, 2015
Publisher: NSLF Online Library
Access: NSLF Online Library

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Vanuatu Reflections – Nina Barnett

Admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 02:56:12 +0000

Vanuatu is one special place in the world – one that I never quite expected I would go. But there I found myself, balancing on a fallen coconut tree in the river, tentatively avoiding the nasty spiky snails while my limbs were enthusiastically scrubbed and soaped by the little ‘pikininis’ (meaning children in Bislama) who we joined hands with on our journey down from Mango Station. They have hair that is so fantastically frizzy that it’s pretty well waterproof, small, explorative and fidgety brown hands, and dark, wide and determined eyes with a joyous glint in them that makes you wonder about the world. These are the children of Santo Island, where we stayed in the South just outside of Luganville.

As we filed off the plane we were greeted with one of the greatest grins that anyone might witness in their lifetime. There was Jeffrey, accompanied by several family recruits, waiting eagerly adjacent to the two trusty utes that would take us on the wildest four-wheel driving adventures through Vanuatu’s thick jungle greenery during our stay. That evening we were escorted to Jeffrey’s home where we met his family. They adorned us with brightly coloured leis and fed us up generously with a smorgasbord of food inside a small hut with a low ceiling and a roof of palm leaves. By the end of the night we were all bleary eyed and ready to drop off into dreamland, but our expectations were again trumped when we arrived at our base camp in Mango. There we found a hut for sleeping, toilet, and kitchen area built by the hands of these beaming people over the past several weeks in anticipation of our stay. They built us a house. Get that? They built us a house.

Over the course of the next ten days our group of thirteen spent time in and with some of the most spectacular places, experiences and people – some so remote from anywhere or anything I had imagined, including my mind’s preconceptions of such places. These frequently elicited feelings that shifted from bamboozlement to surprise and intrigue, confusion to an assurance of right and wrong, sadness to joy, hopelessness to hopefulness, loss of heart to determinedness and motivation. These feelings came from my inner core and as the days went by, I felt my heart being transformed by these people and this land. As I flick through the snapshots in my mind of their faces and interactions, my heart wells up with love for them until it is totally full and overflowing. I think it’s because as you come to know people more intimately, to know their hopes and to understand why they have them, your hopes for them align with theirs, and you are filled with a yearning to see them realised.

I don’t think you can really understand what it means to be generous, what it means to have faith and hope, or what it means to have joy (not happiness, I mean real joy) until you know suffering. Jeffrey and his family have so little, and yet they gave so much. Not only that, but they did so with a spirit of joy and love that was so intense it was overwhelming – frugal attitudes and bitterness don’t exist here. The people of Vanuatu know what suffering is, they know what it is to have nothing, to go hungry, to give up an education for the sake of their family. In spite of it all and what you might expect to see in someone who has endured these things, the people we met were some of the most generous, joyful and hopeful people I’ve ever known. They have overcome suffering through what they attribute to their faith in Jesus Christ, because they rely on him, trust in him and put their hope in him – a God that loves and cares for them, and gives them hope in eternity.

The spirit in that community of Mango is inspiring. It stirs you up inside and makes you feel restless because you feel like you ought to do something about the fact that they have so little. As the trip went on, however, I realised that yes, they are poor in a material sense, but they are so rich in many ways that we are not. They are rich in life and love, expressed through their seemingly endless spirit of generosity, community and joy. I was humbled by these people, and I am so, so thankful.

Title: Vanuatu Reflections
Author: Nina Barnett
Format: Reflection
Publisher: National Student Leadership Forum, Sydney
Access: Online Library of the National Student Leadership Forum

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The Soul-Probing Question- Alyssa Henry

Admin — Tue, 26 May 2015 06:57:30 +0000

Was I the only one who approached the NSLF Alumni Event with a mild sense of dread? Excitement, certainly, but also that niggling feeling of unease that comes when you know you’re about to be pushed outside of your comfort zone.

As Friday night rolled around and I headed off to the Saxton’s (secretly grateful I had avoided the formidable Jock Cameron dinner), I wondered what I would say when I would inevitably be put on the spot tonight. And yes, I may have mentally prepared a few clever (or at least I thought) comments.

Dinner was delightful. A group of unusually intelligent, unusually interesting and unusually engaging young adults, all gathered expecting to have conversations of some weight and depth.

Dessert came and went, the night drew on, no round-the-table sharing question had been forthcoming – and I thought, maybe I’ve escaped? Maybe I won’t have to bare my soul tonight?

But, to my surprise, intermingled with the relief I felt was a clear sense of disappointment.

Yes, I’d avoided an uncomfortable situation, side-stepped the potential for social embarrassment and awkwardness, but I’d also lost the chance to be truly known by those around me, and to have the privilege of seeing a genuine glimpse of each person’s true self.

Then it struck me: how often do I make this choice in my life? When given the opportunity of greater discomfort but greater joy, or continuing on safely unchanged and unchallenged, I fear I often choose the latter.

Even though I profess my life purpose to be knowing and loving others, my actions suggest my purpose is to just get through with minimal possibility of shame or unease.

The greatest risk each of us can take is to expose ourselves. To bring our true, unguarded self to the table with the possibility of rejection. It hurts and it is terrifying.

But the alternative is more terrifying. The alternative is that we remain safe, but unseen. Shielded, but impenetrable.

Yes, it is risky to let yourself be known. But it’s downright fatal to avoid it because it’s the only way to experience true love, true joy, true connection.

PS: You’ll be happy to know, the soul-probing question was eventually asked. And many at the table made the choice to risk greatly. Outside the comfort zone we relished in the vulnerability of it all – the joy of sharing a piece of our stories.

Title: The Soul-Probing Question
Author: Alyssa Henry
Format: Blog Post
Year Published: 2014
Publisher: National Student Leadership Forum

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Past Delegate Reflections – Lauren Marks, Georgia Macgregor, Levi Walford-Smith

Admin — Tue, 26 May 2015 06:50:09 +0000

Lauren Marks, WA

When my Manager told me they were nominating me for the NSLF I was firstly flattered, they think ‘I’ could be a leader? They’re nuts! The idea of ever becoming a leader had never crossed my mind. I had always thought of leaders as being people in power, politicians, extroverts, wealthy, not someone like me, and definitely not someone who hadn’t even been to university.

The feeling of excitement and pride was soon replaced with a feeling of fear and dread. The idea of stepping out of my comfort zone and opening myself up to 300 strangers made me feel sick to my stomach.

Upon receiving the application form and being asked to state three random facts about myself I already felt like the world’s most boring person. I racked my brain trying to think up something interesting and impressive.

The most exciting facts about Lauren Marks:

Her first job was at aged 10, counting bags of 1000 screws into smaller bags of 10 The first thing she ever purchased with her own money was a Pokemon card She has an obsession with teeth. While other kids played with their Barbie dolls, she played with her dentist kit and made teeth out of playdough. SO deep, right!? I hadn’t even arrived at the Forum and I was already comparing myself to everyone else.

On the first day of the Forum as I walked around the foyer in search of the number 6, I overheard the same conversations amongst the crowd – “What do you study? What university do you go to?” I felt like a complete fraud.

Over the course of the Forum those basic conversations about university quickly vanished and were replaced with soul baring discussions.

It can be daunting, opening yourself up and allowing yourself to feel vulnerable. Vulnerability was something I had fought for as long as I could remember but in that moment we were all in the same boat – away from home, family, friends, routine and security. We were there and we were raw.

As each person shared something about themselves I realised that the snap judgements I had made the first morning we met could not have been further from the truth. Each person had a story, so much more to them than meets the eye. In that same moment, I realised I did too. I wasn’t defined by my lack of a degree, nor should I ever let myself be.

I had wasted so much time worrying about what ‘I’ was going to say and fearing that I would be a disappointment once people got to know me that I was missing out on hearing about other people’s stories and learning from their experiences, their struggles and their journey’s.

NSLF gave me confidence and taught me to open my heart and let people in again. I left wanting to serve others and help people find their way in the same way the Forum helped me find mine.

I will forever treasure this experience and the wonderful people I met.

Levi Walford-Smith, NZ

“ki te wairua, ki te whaiao, ki te ao marama”

My personal journey at NSLF was centred on my own self-worth.

It’s amazing how we can walk through life with heavy weights on our ankles, never realising how they are slowing us down, determining where we can and cannot go; can and cannot do; can and cannot be. It isn’t until someone points to it and shows how much we are limited.

My personal journey at NSLF was centred on my own self-worth.

I went into NSLF as someone who shouldn’t have been there, believing that it was extraordinary luck that I actually made it. I had a huge sense of un-worthiness. It’s something I can look at now and understand, having seen how much it held me back. It was very present, from never driving because I didn’t believe I should be trusted with lives of pedestrians, to not wanting a girlfriend until I can be perfect and give her everything.

It is in this mind-set that I entered the Forum, but in feeling the power of those attending, I lifted my head so I could see from their heights. In simply lifting my head because the space demanded it, I was approached all through the weekend and acknowledged, as a Kiwi (the New Zealander), a Maori (for my haka) and a person (for my questioning). It was being in this space that gave me the chance to step back and think “maybe I’m a bit alright. Maybe I am a bit worth it.”

In Maori we talk about ‘ki te wairua, ki te whaiao, ki te ao marama’, translating to ‘the spirit, the glimmering dawn, the world of light’. I think it is a brilliant metaphor of the potential that is held in a relationship between people. When connected, there is a new dawning of what may be brought into being.

I walked away from NSLF as a better man, free from this false barrier we give ourselves called unworthy. That is the magic of what a safe space and awesome people can do – lift others up, so they can keep climbing, helping people along the way.

That is servant leadership.

That is love.

Georgia Macgregor, NSW

“And with that, the star exploded, spreading its ‘stardust’ throughout space, each individual particle full of hope and potential.”

When asked about my experience of the National Student Leadership Forum 2014, the word that continues to come to mind is ‘hope’. Over the duration of the forum, I had the privilege of listening to many people share their stories, and I found that hope was a key element of each person’s journey. Upon reflection, I believe that I identified with this notion so strongly because I myself, was loosing touch with ‘hope’.

Sometime ago, a friend asked me, ‘If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?’ My response was not quite world peace, or a wish to end world poverty but a desire to shift people’s attitudes. After unpacking this, I found that I wanted to ‘hope’ that people held the potential to put love and service above hate, greed, honour, judgment and selfishness; however, with the prominence of these destructive behaviours, so blatantly present in society, it is not surprising that this hope can fade.

The Forum was a microcosm that inspired hope. It was a perfect world. It fostered a specific attitude; one of openness and acceptance, a desire to love, value and serve others. So in reference to my metaphorical comparison, I use a star not only because it is a symbol of hope but because, if you stretch the imagination, the forum experience was somewhat similar to the life cycle of a star; its birth through the gathering of particles – or in this case, people, its maturation – the development of ones values and ideals and the stars death.

It is the death of the star that I believe to be key aspect of the forum experience. We delegates, ‘the stardust’, are expulsed back into our individual contexts, full of hope and a desire to serve. It is in what we choose to do with this that lives the true value of the forum experience.

Title: Past Delegate Reflections
Author: Lauren Marks, Georgia Macgregor, Levi Walford-Smith
Format: Blog Post
Year Published: 2014
Publisher: National Student Leadership Forum
Access: Online Library of the National Student Leadership Forum

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An Inquiry Challenge – Emma Froggatt

Admin — Tue, 26 May 2015 06:35:55 +0000

I have attempted a little philosophy in my life of asking the question, until the point is confirmed. I try to ask questions of my thoughts, beliefs, hopes and habits in some attempt to strengthen the things that I can believe are true, and filter out the things that don’t matter so much.

I think the idea of asking a question to “strengthen” came from the educational philosopher Piaget whose ideas resonated with me during my (very limited) three weeks of studying an Education degree at uni. The idea goes that a child must ask a question in order to confirm his learning (…education students correct me if I’m wrong.) For example, let’s assume a child understands the concept of a dog. Next he gets introduced to the concept of a bear. He needs to ask questions in order to integrate this new concept to his learning. Is this a big dog? What features are different? A child must ask himself these questions in order to create a new category (the category of bear) and confirm his understanding of an old category (the category of dog).

So what does this have to do with Forum?

We go through life with a stock-standard set of ideas and beliefs. Forum tries to throw these into question. It stimulates questions that might help you to confirm beliefs, or to create new categories.

When I arrived at forum in March last year, I had just begun my Masters of Arts in Journalism. In class we had been dissecting interview techniques: how to get information out of people and how to “ask the tough questions” (something I’m still learning).

I arrived in Canberra and my mind was swiftly cast to the previous time I’d been there on work experience with The Canberra Times. I flinched at the memory myself awkwardly interviewing an Afghani National for a story I was doing. I remember feeling so pressed to write something myself that my focus was not on him, but on my questions. I was so caught up asking him the questions I’d written on my notepad that I was unable to go with the natural flow of the interview, and ask him questions based on what he was saying.

And indeed, sometimes in life, the question changes. The question isn’t what we think we need to ask. It changes according to who we are asking it of.

It was on the bus on the way to the hotel from Parliamentary Question Time that I got thinking again about the power of the question. I flicked my mind back to watching Parliament in sitting where the pollies spin on their chairs in their RMs, rolling their eyes as they turn to face their side of politics. It seemed that rather than listening to the opposition, they faced the other side and listened for the ‘hear hear’ that would echo their point of view. I wondered.. imagine if we stopped to listen to the question, rather than engaged in the theatrics. (Although yes, of course, the circus and the sketches do make politics more fun).

Over the weekend we engaged in (hold the theatrics) question time of our own. Making friends, making small talk, sharing personal stories and engaging with speakers, the questions rolled on in. Many of these were important questions. Questions we didn’t expect. I’m sure NSLF alumni will remember.

These are the questions that came when we heard a person share their story very intimately, and the judgments we made on meeting them on day one began to shift. The questions that were raised when we began to empathize with people who touched on aspects of their worlds that have never touched our own. The questions that were raised when we listened for how certain people had developed resilience, had survived trauma, or as we simply realized how much wisdom the people around us have to offer.

And asking these questions ends up strengthening beliefs, or helping us open to form new categories of ideas. Even in that, being open to forming new categories brings so much greater freedom – greater freedom of exploration that asking questions becomes exciting.

Eyal Halamish, from OurSay ran the final session I went to at the Forum. OurSay is an independent organization that uses social media to encourage young people to ask questions of politicians. He spoke about the power of the question. He explained that there existed a Jewish tradition wherein young Hebrew scholars would discuss the Torah with their Rabbi, and the emphasis in their learning was on their questions. The Rabbi would tell them that in order to get the right answer, they had to ask the right question. He would ask them, “is there more scope to that question?”

This made me think of the ministry of Jesus Christ, recorded in the New Testament, where Jesus was quick to respond to questions with questions.

Matthew 15:1-3 (NIV) it’s recorded:

“Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Jesus was turning custom and culture on itself by asking for it to be re-inquired. A reinquiry is necessary in order to produce better questions, which might give better answers. And I do believe that as we continue to ask questions, they will continue to point us to the truth.

And this is the nature of dialogue – which is what’s so exciting about life – everything we have, we share. We each have different pockets of knowledge or insight or truth revealed to us, and share it with one another in dialogue. In talking and asking questions. In reflecting back and forth.

Now back to where I began, I am quite happy to let you know that my interviewing technique has been relaxing this year. Relaxing to the point of not sticking too intensively to my page, but also including banter, rolling off topic and bringing the conversation back to its main point (!) In those instances of interviewing, I am not the expert; I am extracting knowledge unlike a conversation, which is a dialogue back and fourth.

Yet even still, learning to listen and to be slow to respond (with my own quick wit or intelligent response) has been an interesting learning curve. Attempting to listen and be slow to respond helps me to form better questions which (surprise surprise) help to garner better answers… The kinds of answers I think the rabbis were talking about.

So to wrap this up in some kind of conclusion. I’d advise you to come to forum with questions, not knowledge. With blank pages, not books. And with the ability to ask questions of people, not forgetting they will want to ask questions of you. I hope to play at questions with you while we’re there!

Title: An Inquiry Challenge
Author: Emma Froggatt
Format: Blog Post
Year Published: July, 2014
Publisher: National Student Leadership Forum
Access: Online Library of the National Student Leadership Forum

The post An Inquiry Challenge – Emma Froggatt appeared first on National Student Leadership Forum.

Fight or Flight? – Annie Navin

Admin — Mon, 25 May 2015 02:39:33 +0000

“So that’s it. It’s all over.”

I remember these words being spoken by my fellow intern, Mim Cameron, as we settled into our car seats on the last day of Forum. It was Sunday, about midday. Most of the delegates had left, our belts were buckled and the Ford Territory was poised to exit the grounds of the Hyatt.

In the same way, I sat poised in anticipation of the three-hour drive ahead of us. Cruising down the picturesque Hume Highway meant there would be the chance to mull over the grand significance of the past four days; the highs and lows; our hopes; our regrets. I remember feeling unsure about how to process the enormity of what we had just accomplished. I even felt a little sad that it was, indeed, all over. But what did Mim think? We’d been on the road for ten minutes, and I had already come up with the perfectly existential question to ask her. It was a cracker – the kind of question that demands a journey into the soul – very ‘NSLF’, very road trip worthy. I sensed that Mim was on the same page. We were going to discuss the deep stuff; the stuff that really mattered. Just as we were approaching the outskirts of Canberra, Mim turned to me and asked,

“I’m starving. Wanna get a burrito?”

Okay, maybe not.

If anyone asked, I would use the word anticipation to describe my experience of working at the National Student Leadership Forum as an intern.

Every week you enter the little office in Killara and plug away at various tasks and projects. All the while, you recall your own experience as a delegate, basing your imaginings of the upcoming Forum on the year prior. It isn’t quite palatable yet, but the significance of it all looms large. I remember sorting through all the delegate applications and feeling little tingles of excitement on behalf of the names on each page.

As for the Forum itself, this is also fraught with anticipation. You’re always on your toes, thinking about what job to do next or where the delegates need to be for this talk or that. I think all the other interns would agree that adrenalin is the substance of choice. The energy of the whole thing is contagious. Finding the appropriate balance between lack of sleep and frenetic activity is essential if you want to function at maximum capacity without teetering into full-on stress-out mode.

But this does not speak of the entirety of my experience.

Having the chance to reflect on the drive back to Sydney was really worthwhile. But more than anything, I couldn’t wait to go home. The buzz of the Forum had started to recede and was replaced with a desire to get back to what I knew, what was familiar. Home had a warm bed with the promise of a good night’s sleep and some much needed time-out.

Of course this, in itself, was understandable and hardly an unnatural response. However, it got me thinking about other human responses to the inevitable throws of life. Namely, how we react to things that are stressful, uncomfortable or outside the recognisable. Often, when this occurs, our instincts resort to the ‘fight or flight’ response. I think it’s insistence in our lives is pretty subtle but nonetheless worthy of attribution.

For example, a loved one takes a cheap shot at something you view as a character flaw – like laziness. This, in turn, triggers denial and a desire to point out the flaws of the person who was daring enough to antagonise you (fight).

On the other hand, you might be picking uni subjects for the upcoming semester and you’ve narrowed your options down to two units that are both appealing. One has a solo presentation as one of its key assessments. The other has a 2000-word essay. All other things being equal, you pick the one that doesn’t involve public speaking (flight).

I saw this flight or fight response in its raw entirety a few weeks ago. I was spending a weekend at my Mum’s property, a few hours outside of Sydney. It’s a pretty piece of acreage that you cross a river to reach. She has a couple of horses that roam the paddocks around her house, one of which gave birth at the start of spring. One morning I came out onto the balcony and saw the family dog (ever so boldly) barking at the barely-4-weeks-old foal. Naturally, as horses do, it kicked up a fuss and bolted away as fast as it could. Unfortunately it didn’t see the fence up ahead and went head first into some rusty wire. The foal panicked and jerked its head around whilst my (oh so annoying) dog continued its verbal tirade against the innocent baby and it’s increasingly distraught Mum. Thankfully, however, it broke free uninjured before I had to intervene and galloped off to one of the distant paddocks where it was out of danger. Needless to say, the dog was chastised appropriately.

One of the best things about the Forum, in my opinion, is the small group time. Getting to know so many capable and charismatic people is a greatly inspiring and humbling experience. As such, being forced to lay down arms and bear your life to them can be as uncomfortable as it is unfamiliar. Highly worthy, in my opinion, of invoking a flight or fight response. But fighting would be pretty awkward, and flight isn’t very cost effective given that you’ve already dished out one and a half grand for the whole shebang. So really – you just have to cop it. It’s a true test of vulnerability.

Being vulnerable with others is important because it is the key to fulfilling relationships. I think, deep down, this is something that we all value as human beings. Its common knowledge that we are relational – herd animals if you like – and need to love others in order to flourish. Why else do we seek the support of others during our darkest moments? A funeral is never a solitary affair nor does one overcome depression or other psychological disorders through their own means. By the same token, Charlotte Bronte was right when she said “happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness.” Or more colloquially, Snoop Dogg says “it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none” (Yeah I went there).

Moreover, when the seemingly interminable walls of self-preservation, pride and egotism are broken down between two or more people, the openness that follows is food for the soul and mind. Knowing that someone trusts you enough to share the deepest part of themselves is a joy and a privilege. This is what giving yourself to someone else looks like. It is also the catalyst for real personal growth and change.

I came across this really cool quote the other day, and thought it was very fitting: “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”

This highlights the fact that being vulnerable doesn’t necessarily look pretty. It can be stressful, uncomfortable or demoralising. It often reveals dark parts of yourself that you would rather ignore. But rather than seeing these factors as a deterrent, we should embrace them. Otherwise, I think you’re living your life in anticipation – seeing the challenges on the horizon but never approaching them. Knowing that you might lose face or be hurt is a worthy price to pay when you think of the benefits, which might be encouraging someone in relationship or dealing with some unpleasant part of yourself that you’ve been too proud to admit to up until now.

Having the humility to do this is essential. I think the Jesus of the Bible provides the perfect example of humility if you look at what he did in the New Testament. There are countless examples, but more than anything, he “made himself nothing, and took the very nature of a servant” in order to love others. Despite my anxiety-riddled response to the idea of sharing ‘my story’ I was so glad I did it. Seeking to become like the Jesus of the Bible is something I value more than little self-doubts and ‘I don’t want to do that’ moments.

It’s an unambiguously didactic end to this blog post, but my appeal is for people to simply reach beyond their comfort zones. It’s undeniably hard – the body and soul would rather flee from discomfort or fight whatever is causing anxiety. But despite how counterintuitive it feels, pressing into those peculiar moments is well worth the pain. And it doesn’t hurt to keep a sense of perspective. The foal that ran into the wire was okay in the end. But most of all, I think we can appreciate those moments when we consider their potential to make others better off. And maybe ourselves too while we’re at it.

And for what it’s worth, the burritos were great. And we had some great convos on the way back (Mim you’re the best).

Title: Fight or Flight?
Author: Annie Navin
Format: Blog Post
Published: October, 2014
Publisher: National Student Leadership Forum
Access: Online Library of the National Student Leadership Forum

The post Fight or Flight? – Annie Navin appeared first on National Student Leadership Forum.