School children to follow in our leaders' footsteps

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Three primary school children will shadow senior members of State Government – including South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill – and 150 school students will present their 30-year plans for the state at a major event across the city of Adelaide tomorrow (Friday 21 October).

The event is CU (Children's University) @ Open State, which will see hundreds of children from seven primary schools from northern Adelaide consider issues of leadership and the future of South Australia.

As part of CU @ Open State, school children have been preparing and will present their final plans to a panel of executives at venues across the city, from 10.30-11.15am:

• Art Gallery of South Australia – paired with Horizon Primary School
• South Australian Museum – paired with Swallowcliffe Primary School
• Zoos SA – paired with Mark Oliphant College
• Singapore Airlines – paired with Wandana Primary School
• State Library of South Australia – paired with Salisbury North Primary School
• History SA – paired with Swallowcliffe Primary School
• Migration Museum – paired with Swallowcliffe Primary School
• Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – paired with Lake Windemere Primary School
• University of Adelaide – paired with Hope Christian College.

After being hosted at Government House for lunch, the children will ask questions of a panel of leaders from the partner organisations at a CU @ Open State Q&A discussion event at the Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre. This event is free and open to the public from 1.00-2.00pm.

Three of the children have also been chosen for a special "job shadowing" assignment for an hour or more with leaders in government:

• Josephine Seraphin, 12, from Swallowcliffe Primary School, to shadow the South Australian Premier (5.00-6.00pm Friday 21 October)
• Soraya Heidari, 13, from Swallowcliffe Primary School, to shadow the Chief Executive of Department of Premier and Cabinet (10.00-11.30am)
• Marissa Montgomery, 12, from Lake Windemere Primary School, to shadow the South Australian Mental Health Commissioner (10.00-11.30am).

"Opening the door to new ideas is a priority for the State Government and where better to get fresh thinking than our state's youngest citizens. I'm looking forward to working with Josephine and hearing her thoughts on how to make our great state even better," says the Premier, Jay Weatherill.

Ms Kiri Hagenus, Director of Children's University Adelaide, says: "This major event brings school students in contact with leaders in their fields and with concepts of leadership at an early stage in their lives. It enables young people to share their visions for South Australia.

"By doing so, we hope to inspire a new generation of leaders, with creative thinking about our state's future and each student's unique place within that future."

www.adelaide.edu.au/childrensuniversity

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