Young Women, Take the Lead!  

Posted on 10 May, 2019

Young Women Take the Lead! is the name of a festival symposium about just that—women coming together from all walks of life, taking the bull by the horns in their chosen industries.

Taking place at the Australian National University (ANU) on Tuesday 21 May, the event will see women coming together for a day event that gives them a platform to connect with mentors and role models from a wide range of career paths.

They’ll have the opportunity to gain invaluable practical guidance for the workplace, hearing testimonies from highly successful women in politics, law, technology and many more industries. There’ll be an emphasis on interactivity, with round table discussions led by influential women in business, and performances by female artists throughout the day.

Young Women Take the Lead! is the product of a partnership between The Gender Institute and Melanie Kontze, co-founder of Silverstone Edge. Melanie says the event is important for young women due to the multitude of opportunities it provides them with.

“As people start in their careers they have high expectations of how the world of work actually works. Sometimes the reality is a bit of a shock to them,” she explains. “So I think that the opportunity to open up that discussion…and to connect with senior women who are making their way successfully is really important.”

Notable attendees at the event include Meegan Fitzharris, Minister for Health & Wellbeing, Higher Education, Medical and Health Research, Transport and Vocational Education and Skills; journalist Genevieve Jacobs; and Morgan Marshall, 2019 ACT Young Woman of the Year. But Melanie says it’s not just profile that makes someone successful.

“Some of the lesser known people that are just getting up, going to work every day and making a difference in their workplace as well is a really important message for young women,” she says. “You don’t have to be the person that’s in the media in order to be making change, and that’s what we want them to know.”

Melanie says that she and the team wanted to ensure a diverse range of people with different experiences and capabilities would be represented at the event.

“There are people from the political world, people from law, from technology…we wanted to show that there is great opportunity across many disciplines and women are creating change in the workplace now.”

Melanie says that a main key for her success was utilising the mentoring and coaching she received over the years. Knowing yourself and finding your inner confidence and saying ‘yes’ to any opportunity is advice she gives to young people embarking on their career journeys.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a man or woman, it is really about leaning in to challenges, picking them up, even if you feel you aren’t quite there yet.”

“Finding the ways that you can make things work, doing the work to make things work for you. Nobody gets to be successful without working hard.”

the essentials

What: Festival: Young Women Take The Lead!
When: Tuesday 21 May from 9 am – 5 pm
Where: Drama Theatre, Kambri University Ave, Acton
Cost: Free
More information: Facebook