ABCN welcomes 39 Accelerate Scholarship students to Sydney

In May, the ABCN Foundation proudly welcomed 39 Year 11 Accelerate Scholarship students and their mentors from across Australia to Sydney for the ABCN Foundation’s Annual Accelerate Leadership Summit. The Summit provided an opportunity for students to connect, learn, and be inspired as we worked on building student confidence in career decisions, expanding networks, and experiencing many ‘firsts’.

Event highlights included an engaging Q& A session with social entrepreneur and mental health advocate, Ari Yeganeh. This was followed by a ‘Find Your Purpose’ workshop led by ABCN’s Head of Program Development Maree Drury. In the evening, the scholars and their mentors celebrated their achievements at KPMG’s Sydney office and it’s stunning views from the top floor. The event featured insights from KPMG CEO Andrew Yates and former NSW Premier, now Managing Director, Enterprise and Business at Optus, Gladys Berejiklian. The following morning, a harbourside walk and a guided tour of the Art Gallery of New South Wales provided a perfect setting for students and mentors to strengthen their connections.

Gladys speaking seated on stage from side view Managing Director, Enterprise and Business at Optus, Gladys Berejiklian speaks to the 2024 Accelerate Scholarship recipients.

The Summit encapsulated ABCN’s mission to bring businesses and students together to expand aspirations, create opportunities, and help goal-oriented young people facing educational and employment inequality due to socio-economic backgrounds reach their full potential. These students captured the essence of the Summit, saying:

· ‘I learnt resilience and about taking initiative. Watching the guests, mentors and scholars really inspired me to work harder and find my passions’

· ‘For me, the most important thing was powering through even when life gets harder. Like Ari said, I want to do things and choose things that my 95 year old self will be proud of or think positively on.’

· ‘At first, I stayed by myself, but as the time went by, I met other mentors and even got a chance to talk to Gladys! I’m still working on connecting with the other scholars, but I’m sure I’ll get there eventually!’

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

· Brett Clark, Anthea Jackson and TAL for generously hosting our students and their mentors,

· Andrew Yates, Julia Bain and KPMG for hosting the Summit’s celebration evening event at their Sydney office in Barangaroo, and

· Samantha Luck, Louise Halpin, Karolin Wu and the Art Gallery of New South Wales for welcoming our lively students and their mentors to their unique art museum campus.

The incredible support of our ABCN Member Companies and their dedicated people enables us to provide these invaluable opportunities for young Australians to reach their potential in the future world of work, regardless of their circumstances.