A festival celebrating students at the centre of their own education journey is unique to Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE).
At BCE’s annual day-long Festival of Ideas (Tuesday 27 September), students are empowered to listen and learn from each other, work collaboratively, and take responsibility for their education.
BCE Executive Director Dr Sally Towns said the ‘co-designed festival’ led by Student Voice Consultants, who are students themselves, will boast a 100-strong student delegation.
“The festival gives students accepting and inclusive spaces to discuss their ideas for their school within a diverse group of young people,” she said.
“There are 16 brainstorming and discussion stations set up for students to gather and collaborate on their collective ideas on how to improve their experience at school.
“We believe that when students are informed and given the opportunity to have their own say about their education, they thrive and feel a stronger sense of belonging and community.”
The Executive Director said student feedback from previous events has already led to the creation of a unique program focusing on mental health called More2Me, which affirms the success of the Festival of Ideas format.
“More2Me is a professional learning package for secondary school educators aimed at sharing the unique student perspective and effective ways to support student mental health, launching in October,” said Dr Towns.
“It is impressive that this very program was born out of the 2021 Festival of Ideas event.”
At the culmination of the Festival of Ideas, whose 2022 theme is Wishes for Education, a delegation of student attendees will meet directly with the BCE Executive team and other decision makers to present their ideas for consideration.
About Student Voice
Established in 2018, the Student Voice Consultant Team consists of over 20 secondary students from across BCE’s 146 schools.
Their vision: BCE is a community of schools where students and staff work cohesively to create a student focussed education system that empowers students to shape and enrich our world.