The Gold Coast Junior Council program offers a unique platform for Year 10 and 11 students from Gold Coast schools to take part in decision-making processes involving our local government and the community. This week, our four Junior Council representatives, Year 11 Rihanna Patel (Deputy Junior Mayor), Yanyan Zhang (Executive Committee member) and Year 10 Matilda Duhig and Mattias Steljic, joined 37 other Gold Coast schools to celebrate the 8 year countdown until the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The day was spent at CBUS Stadium, the future Olympic football stadium, engaging in workshops and discussions about the Games' legacy. Yanyan reflects on the day below:
Tuesday 23 July, was a special day. Not only did we have the third Gold Coast Junior Council meeting of the year, but it also marked eight years until the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, with Gold Coast as a co-host city. The event began with an opening address from Acting Mayor Cr Donna Gates. I was both delighted and proud to hear that within 100 years, the female participation rate in the Australian Olympic Team grew from no female athletes to 55% of the Paris 2024 Australian Olympic Team being female, marking a new era of representation for female athletes in sports.
My favourite part of the day was hearing from Olympic Gold Medallists, Brooke Hanson OAM, and Sara Carrigan OAM. Brooke gave an inspiring speech illustrating how she achieved her goals of representing Australia in the Olympics for swimming through perseverance, leadership, and collaboration. We were truly inspired by her words and her story of she, as a 4-year-old girl had a dream, and persisted through hardships and failures to eventually stand on the highest podium at the Games and earned an Olympic gold and silver medal by living out her passion.
During Sara Carigan's Active Travel workshop, she not only encouraged us to find our passion in life regardless of time, but also talked about the importance of staying dedicated and setting clear, specific goals to navigate our journey towards success. Watching Sara's gold medal winning road bike race was a moment of inspiration and elation for us all.
Many of the key attributes these two amazing athletes have great connections with IB Learner characteristics, such as being a risk-taker, not being afraid to communicate with others, and reflecting upon the challenges we face to step out of our comfort zones. I'm grateful for this opportunity and excited for the Paris, Los Angeles and Brisbane Olympic Games!
Marnie Chetter
Teacher of English & Student Leadership Coordinator