2024 Student Voice Summit | Agents of Transformation
Thursday, 19 September
Location: The University of Sydney & Online
This student-only event brought together student leaders from higher education institutions to exchange knowledge and practices of actively engaging in institutional decision-making, discuss and tackle challenges in group activities, and gain inspiration from esteemed speakers.
The theme, ‘Agents of Transformation' highlights how student leaders and representatives drive change and collaborate with peers to empower student-driven transformation. By actively engaging in institutional decision-making, students play a crucial role in reshaping higher education to better reflect and serve their diverse needs and aspirations.
Program
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Jimi Bursaw, Manager of Student Advocacy and Support, University of Queensland Union
You’re a Student Leader. Congratulations. …Now what? What defines being a student leader?
Moreover, what defines being an excellent Student Leader?
In this session, we’ll explore our identities in the context of Student Leadership and Student Voice in Australia. We’ll have a look at how and why we each came to find ourselves with the label of ‘student leader’ and examine what that means in the critical context of our own higher education environments. As a part of this journey, we’ll touch on some of the ways higher education institutions in Australia have (and have struggled to) embrace the ever-increasing importance of student voice and what implications that has for you as a Student Leader. Together, we’ll explore several phenomena and frameworks that we can add to our Student Leadership toolbox that will help us navigate the challenges before us.
This audience-guided session will touch on a variety of topics and tools borrowed from tertiary educational philosophy, servant-leadership, best practices in student voice and representation, and more. So, join us in exploring a small piece of the rich ocean of being a Student Leader in Australia in the 2020s, and consider what your next steps need to be in becoming the kind of Leader you want to be.
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Josh Farr, Founder of Campus Consultancy
Are you juggling multiple commitments and feeling the weight of it all? As student leaders, you’re often balancing academic demands, leadership roles, and personal life. In this dynamic session with Student Voice Australia, we’ll dive into Emotional Intelligence and Resilience—key skills that can help you manage your time and energy effectively, stay focused, and support others. We’ll explore practical tools for managing your workload, not just in your personal life but also in your roles as student representatives. Whether you’re preparing for meetings with university staff, engaging with students, or carving out time for self-care and mentorship, this session will provide strategies to help you thrive. By expanding your capacity to manage your commitments, you’ll be better equipped to lead with confidence and resilience, truly becoming an Agent of Transformation.
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Students will share their stories and backgrounds that led them to advocate for themselves and fellow students. We will learn personal insights about breaking down barriers and creating more access to equitable opportunities within higher education.
Panellists:
Casey Dykes, Co-Chair of Students with Disability Leadership Collective at SVA, Bachelor of Aviation Management, UNSW
Janageeth Logeswaran, Student President, Flinders University Student Association, Bachelor of Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Flinders University
Lucy Baranovsky, Chair of CITSA Student Council, Advisory Council Student Representative at Canberra Institute of Technology, Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety, CIT
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You will have an opportunity to dive deep into a topic and ideate solutions which will be shared with the Summit attendees as well as the SVA community in future.
Each table will be dedicated to a different topic and facilitated by a student. Online session will have breakout rooms.
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Join Us for the Post-Summit Networking Event!
We’re excited to invite you to our Post-Summit Networking Event, where you’ll have the chance to mingle with fellow attendees and potential collaborators in a relaxed setting. You’ve soaked up the insights, engaged in lively discussions, and connected with like-minded peers at the summit—now it’s time to keep the momentum going!
🗓 Date: Thursday 19th September
🕖 Time: 5PM
📍 Location: Hermann’s Bar, Wentworth Building (across the road from the summit venue)Enjoy some refreshments, engaging conversations, and opportunities to build meaningful connections. Whether you’re looking to continue discussions from the summit or explore new partnerships, this event is the perfect place to make it happen. Don’t miss out on this chance to network, relax, and celebrate the success of the summit together!
RSVP now. We can’t wait to see you there!
This is an 18+ event.
Meet the Speakers
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Meet the Speakers 〰️
Jimi Bursaw
Manager of Student Advocacy and Support, University of Queensland Union
Jimi's life in student partnership and student representation began over 20 years ago in Canada as an undergraduate. Since then, he has built a career spanning six universities across three countries, experiencing most facets of higher education. Having reformed 2 student governments, engaged in more than 50 student partnerships, and training thousands of student leaders, Jimi incorporates the student voice into every aspect of his work. Shaping institutional strategy, reforming campus culture, advocating for student rights, lecturing, conducting research, and building programs and infrastructure to support students, Jimi is equipped with knowledge and is excited for the opportunity to explore the student voice with you.
2024 SVA Members
Our Sponsors
SVA is accepting event sponsorship which allows us to provide travel grants for students and organise two fantastic days of student voice community coming together. Please contact SVA Coordinator to view the sponsorship prospectus.
Introducing Our First Sponsor: Unitu - The Student Voice Platform
Unitu, the leading student voice platform, is our very first sponsor for Student Voice Australasia. Unitu has been instrumental in helping Student Associations and Universities across the UK and now in Australia to engage with the student voice over the last 10 years. Their platform helps institutions and associations to amplify student voices, generate actionable insights on the student experience, and effectively closes the feedback loop.
Anish Bagga, CEO and Co-founder of Unitu
Anish, the CEO and Cofounder of Unitu, will be present at the SVA symposium and summit on the 19th and 20th of September. Anish has a deep passion for student voice, having been a student rep himself and building Unitu back in 2012 during his final year at university. He is eager to meet you all, learn about your incredible work in student engagement, and explore ways to help associations and universities capture, analyse, and act on student feedback more effectively.
Feel free to say "hi" when you see him at the conference!
FAQs
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Students - Students who play a crucial role in shaping learning experiences and the overall student experience on behalf of themselves or a cohort they represent. Student leaders, representatives and executives in student-led organisations who advocate for student needs at class, faculty, institutional and national levels.
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>> Save the date and register for the Summit to attend on the day or online.
>> Promote the Summit to your peers.
>> Facilitate a discussion – Apply by 19 August.
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This is a fully catered event, please submit your catering request via the registration form.
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The Summit will be held at the University of Sydney Camperdown campus in Sydney. For more information about the campus, scroll to the bottom of this page.
You also can join online as it will be delivered in a blended format.
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Please reach out to your institution regarding the sponsorship to attend the Summit in person or apply for SVA's travel grant.
Scroll down on this page for travel information including the list of hotels and directions to the campus.
Free parking will not be available for the attendees and parking spots may be limited on the day.
Please email sva@usq.edu.au for any further questions.
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The venue capacity is limited, if you are aiming to register more than 2 delegates from your institution please get in touch with sva@unisq.edu.au.
Students from member institutions can attend the Summit for free, please refer to the list of members at the bottom of this page.
Non-members can book to attend the symposium for a small cost, please refer to the registration page. Online attendance is free.
If you are a student from a non-member institution and are unable to secure funding for the ticket, please get in touch with sva@usq.edu.au
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The Summit will be broadcasted online and some sessions will be recorded.
Josh Farr
Founder of Campus Consultancy, an award-winning higher education consultancy.
Josh and his team specialize in increasing student engagement and retention by delivering training to student leaders and student engagement staff. His experience working with more than 60,000 leaders from more than 100 universities and organizations, shows how investing in student communities leads to increased student engagement metrics and retention results! Josh is a 2x TEDx speaker, Australian Business Journal's #1 Student Leadership Coach and 2024 LinkedIn 'Top Voice' in Leadership Development. You will leave a session with Josh feeling inspired and clear on exactly what to do to move the needle in your work and career.
Panellists:
Casey Dykes, Co-Chair of Students with Disability Leadership Collective at SVA, Bachelor of Aviation Management, UNSW
Hi, I am Casey Dykes. A proud Awabakal Woman, growing up on an Angus cattle Farm near Lake Macquarie! I am studying for a Bachelor of Aviation Management, somehow managing to accumulate (and revoke) 4 expulsions from this program since 2017 due to my complex illnesses. These illnesses accounted for over 8 months in hospital and 42 surgical procedures between 2017 and 2022, and the financial cost left me homeless in 2022.
I feel that I am a profoundly different person than when I commenced my studies in 2017 due to my illnesses. It has taken years to rebuild academically and in life. Saying that; I am now the founding executive of two advocacy university groups, with two successful industry internships under my belt, all whilst currently maintaining the highest grade average of my life. I feel I am truly where I was meant to be in life, so I choose to wake up each day thankful for the challenges I have faced!
Janageeth Logeswaran, Student President, Flinders University Student Association, Bachelor of Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Flinders University
Jana is the current President of the Flinders University Student Association (FUSA). Jana is the first international student to hold this position at Flinders University. Originally from Sri Lanka, Jana initially pursued online studies for a year before relocating to Australia in 2021 to further his education. As an international student, Jana feels very passionate about advocating for international student rights.
Lucy Baranovsky, Chair of CITSA Student Council, Advisory Council Student Representative at Canberra Institute of Technology, Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety, CIT
Lucy has a long history of student advocacy especially within the TAFE space. She completed her year 10 certificate at CIT, going on to complete studies in Animal Technology and Pathology, whilst sitting as the Chair of the CITSA Student Council and Student Representative on the CIT Advisory Council before going on to complete a Bachelor of Nursing at ACU and sitting on the Signadou Student Association as the Secretary for the Executive Student Council. Lucy has also completed a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Majoring in Advanced Practice through JCU. Lucy is now studying a Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety at CIT, is the Chair of the CITSA Student Council and is the Student Representative on the CIT Board. Lucy has a strong passion for lifelong education, social justice and community safety and holds the belief that every student deserves to have their voice heard.
Location and venue information
The Michael Spence Building (F23)
The University of Sydney
Corner of Eastern Avenue and, City Rd, Camperdown NSW 2006
Student Voice Summit Steering Group
The program is carefully curated by students and staff from member institutions alongside SVA Student Partner and SVA Coordinator. We thank our members for their time, ideas and effort in shaping this day: Tina Tran & Miesha Bintanoor (University of Sydney), Chey Hamilton & Cameron Heap (JCU), Victoria Stanmore (QUT), Kingsley Ugwumba (Federation), Bailey Wemyss (UniSC), Radhika Sood (Griffith) and Trish Behan, Adam Hatch, and Harley Addington for also being an incredible team bringing this event to the University of Sydney.