CHILDREN from eleven local schools were treated to time away from class and a keynote speech by the World Economic Forum\u2019s Abdullahi Alim last Friday as part of Commerce Ballarat\u2019s Students Day Out.<\/p>\n
Over 300 young people were invited into Her Majesty\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Jodie Gillet, CEO of Commerce Ballarat, said the students had a lot to take away from Abdullahi\u2019s message.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis is a story that says you can achieve anything, you just have to be willing to go for it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo of his messages that I think are particularly resonating are always give 100 per cent even if there\u2019s a one per cent chance of success, and never disqualify yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballarat High School\u2019s assistant principal Tim Davey said Mr Alim\u2019s lessons were particularly important for young people to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about understanding their journey at the minute and that they\u2019ll be lots of opportunities and choices they\u2019ll need to make, and those choices will need to be based around their feelings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CHILDREN from eleven local schools were treated to time away from class and a keynote speech by the World Economic Forum\u2019s Abdullahi Alim last Friday as part of Commerce Ballarat\u2019s Students Day Out. Over 300 young people were invited into Her Majesty\u2019s to hear Mr Alim talk about his experiences of being a Somalian immigrant […]<\/p>\n