Recently, Mrs Kershaw and I had the privilege of accompanying our newly elected 2027 House Captains to Sydney Grammar School’s Interactive Gender Equality Workshop. It was a wonderful first leadership opportunity for our new House Captains and gave them the chance to engage in thoughtful conversations, hear diverse perspectives and reflect on how they can contribute to building a more equitable society.

The workshop placed students at the centre of conversations about media and representation, sport, stereotypes and education. Working alongside students from other schools enabled our House Captains to hear different perspectives and consider how respectful dialogue can contribute to a more equitable society.

The students’ reflections captured the value of the experience. One House Captain shared that hearing strong and passionate opinions “challenged some of my own beliefs and allowed me to think more critically”. Another reflected on the value of encountering “different perspectives” and broadening her understanding of how young people experience and view issues surrounding gender equality. A third described it as “particularly heartening to hear other girls speak so passionately about issues that I care about as well”.

What impressed me most was the thoughtfulness with which our House Captains considered how these conversations might continue at Meriden. Their ideas included creating smaller discussion groups to encourage greater participation, exploring fewer topics in greater depth, hearing from a wider variety of schools and providing opportunities for students to reflect on whether their perspectives had evolved through respectful discussion.

I was proud of the maturity, curiosity and respect our new House Captains demonstrated throughout the afternoon and look forward to seeing them bring these qualities to their leadership in the year ahead.