Six QAHS Year 10 students have taken their Change in Action project to a state-wide audience, presenting their work at the Queensland Prevention Symposium in Brisbane.
Aili, Asal, Holly, Miranda, Poppy and Xeline, the 2026 Change in Action Champion Team, presented Rethink the Rush at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre to an audience of health professionals, policymakers and community leaders from across Queensland.
Their proposal, Educate, Segregate, Systemise, responds to the growing concern around energy drink consumption among teenagers. The team focused not only on individual choices, but also on the way energy drinks are packaged, promoted and positioned in stores.
Their three-part approach combines education, changes to product placement and broader policy reform, with the aim of making it easier for young people to make informed decisions about their health.
The opportunity to present at the Symposium followed the team's success at the Change in Action Grand Final in July. Since then, the students have continued to refine their proposal and explore where the idea could go next, including securing a meeting with a major supermarket chain.
During the Symposium, the team also met several leaders in public health, including Dr Robyn Littlewood, CEO of Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Dr Marianne Gale, Queensland Health's Chief Health Officer, and Dr Kuljit Singh, National Chair of the RACGP Social Prescribing Specific Interests group. Each took the time to speak with the students and offer feedback on their work.
Rethink the Rush was first developed through QAHS's Year 10 Change in Action program, which was co-designed in 2026 with the Gold Coast Public Health Unit. Katherine Cacavas from the Public Health Unit supported the team at the Symposium and co-presented the session.
The students were also supported by QAHS alumna Mengjia (Linda) Yang, Class of 2022, who returned this year as a mentor. Linda was part of the inaugural Change in Action cohort in 2020 and is now completing her final year of Occupational Therapy Honours at The University of Queensland.
Her involvement brought the story full circle: from participating in Change in Action as a QAHS student, to returning as a mentor and supporting the next group of students to take their ideas further.
Congratulations to Aili, Asal, Holly, Miranda, Poppy and Xeline on an outstanding achievement and for representing QAHS with confidence and purpose at the Queensland Prevention Symposium.
Dion Obst
Head of Department Global Connect