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 | Panelists at the Youth Leadership Forum |
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The University of the South Pacific held a Youth Leadership Forum on Friday 27 September, 2013 at its Japan Pacific ICT Centre.
The forum themed The Road to Youth Empowerment, was officially opened by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Learning, Teaching and Student Services(LTSS), Professor Susan Kelly. “The idea is to get these young people to be empowered by their peers”, she said.
A total of 95 students from the three faculties namely Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment and Faculty of Business and Economics participated at this forum.
Organizers, Dr Alan Quanchi and Ms. Ashla Singh, from FALE’s School of Social Sciences said the forum would allow the participants to interact with youth leaders, and empower them to take up leadership roles.
USP Alumni, who are now in leadership positions, as well as the 2013 Miss Hibiscus, Priscilla Reddy also presented at the forum. A highlight was a panel with four presenters including Ms Merioni Chung, Ms Mere Naikatilau, Ms Sukhia Goo and Ms Filomena.
Dr Quanchi said, “This panel of alumni was an amazing array of talent and high-achievers, and deliberately all young women. And it gives great confidence that the future or our Pacific islands is in good hands”.
The forum also demonstrated the talent among current USP students, with the MC, Chairperson, presenter and final rapporteur roles all taken by students.
Dr Quanchi said the forum was also an opportunity to measure the USP official list of graduate attributes against other personal and professional criteria that could be used to measure a graduate’s impact on the region..
The forum saw a panel on Youth Programs and Developing Youth Leadership, which included representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sport, and the USP Disability Resource Centre, Professor Kelly told the students that the forum was an opportunity for them to take advice from USP Alumni Youth role models as well as to contribute to discussions on leadership in the Pacific region.
The forum which has been facilitated by the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE), has received funding from the University’s STAR project.
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