Students hear for key speaker

CHILDREN from eleven local schools were treated to time away from class and a keynote speech by the World Economic Forum’s Abdullahi Alim last Friday as part of Commerce Ballarat’s Students Day Out.

Over 300 young people were invited into Her Majesty’s to hear Mr Alim talk about his experiences of being a Somalian immigrant through to receiving a Young Leaders Award from The Queen in 2017.

Jodie Gillet, CEO of Commerce Ballarat, said the students had a lot to take away from Abdullahi’s message.

“His is a story that says you can achieve anything, you just have to be willing to go for it,” she said.

“Two of his messages that I think are particularly resonating are always give 100 per cent even if there’s a one per cent chance of success, and never disqualify yourself.

“I think a lot of young people are quite despondent about their futures after the last two years, so this morning was so special to lift them up and give them inspiration to know their futures are bright.”

Ballarat High School’s assistant principal Tim Davey said Mr Alim’s lessons were particularly important for young people to hear.

“It’s about understanding their journey at the minute and that they’ll be lots of opportunities and choices they’ll need to make, and those choices will need to be based around their feelings,” he said.

“I think the focus on not worrying so much about those decisions and looking at them as lessons you can learn along the way was absolutely pivotal for them as well.”