Willow and Olivia attended the "We are More X" (WAM X) Hobart conference on Wednesday, 15 May 2024, in the Ricky Ponting room at the Bellerive Oval. We joined 70 other students from every Australian state and territory. Also at the conference were principals, teachers, employers, government representatives from industry and education, as well as representatives from TAFEs and universities. Mr Harding and Wendy White also attended.

This was a follow-up from a similar event in Adelaide in 2023. The discussion question for the day was, "What do you think success should look like for a young person at the end of secondary education, so they feel prepared for a life of learning and meaningful work?"

We were allocated tables with people we had never met, from all across Australia, and given the opportunity to contribute to the conversations. During the morning, we heard from various young people, senior public educators, and industry representatives about their thoughts on success and, to quote a presenter, "what should the promise of school be?". A lot was shared about the importance of community and culture and how that aligns with the identity of young people in their own context. There were many conversations around student learning, wellbeing, and what success looks like in 2024.

Willow and Olivia will also share more about the conference at our assembly next week.