Former Waihī College student Sarah Keall is heading to the 19th Annual Aspiring Leaders Forum in Wellington, thanks to sponsorship from Hauraki District Council.
Twenty-one-year-old Sarah, who has just completed a degree in Political Science and Communications at Victoria University, was awarded a $1691.50 grant from the council in aid of attending the forum.
She told The Profile she was excited about the opportunity.
“I grew up in Waihī – I went to Waihī College and I’ve always been part of the Waihī community. Part of the reason that I went into studying politics was because I saw that there were these issues or changes that could be made within the community,” she said.
“I wanted to develop skills to facilitate those changes, so I’m definitely interested in being able to apply some of the skills from attending this forum and taking them back to the community and making a positive difference.”
The forum, which takes place on August 21-24, will see around 100 young New Zealanders between the ages of 18 and 26 receive mentoring and participate in workshops and networking events to build their leadership skills. It is a non-political event, with the aim of teaching young people to live for something greater than self-interest.
“We’ll be spending time with Members of Parliament, international guests, business and community leaders. We will be doing some community service including outdoor work,” Sarah said.
“It’s just a chance for like-minded young people who have been giving back to the community and want to have an opportunity to connect and expand on that, to get together and learn about what each other is doing.”
Sarah was nominated for the forum by Waihī councillor Anne-Marie Spicer, who said at a council meeting that she felt Sarah had a great potential bright future ahead of her.
“I’m very thankful to Hauraki District Council for being so generous and offering to sponsor me and help me get there because I wouldn’t get there without them,” Sarah said.
“In the future I’d like to settle [in Waihī] again but for now it’s just trying to get some good experience under my belt and learn all the really important skills to make those positive and sustainable changes to help the community.”
Sarah was also a recipient of the council’s ONYA award in 2021 for her services to the Waihī community, including as a volunteer at Keep Waihī Beautiful cleanups, community sport events and school events; as a Waihī Leos member; and for her in-school leadership roles.
