Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer takes part in official activities at the 2025 Youth Summit. Photo: Shellharbour City Council.
Energy, optimism and big ideas filled the Shellharbour Civic Centre on Thursday (23 October) as more than 150 young people from across the region came together for the annual Shellharbour Youth Summit — a day designed to inspire the city’s next generation of leaders.
Hosted by Shellharbour City Council, the event brought together young people from high schools and youth organisations to hear from inspiring speakers, explore career pathways and share their visions for the future of their community.
A highlight of the day was the star-studded panel in attendance.
Young people had the chance to hear from six-time Australian bodyboarding champion Lilly Pollard, and shark attack survivor turned motivational speaker Brett Connellan.
Alongside them was globally focused water engineer and UN youth representative Meg Cummins, as well as Jacob Finch and Ben Salvatori from Australian indie rock band The Terrys, which started in Gerringong.
Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer said the day gave the next generation an opportunity to learn about local government operations and explore career pathways.
“The Shellharbour Youth Summit is more than just an event, it’s a platform for young people to be heard, to connect, and to contribute meaningfully to our community,” Cr Homer said.
“Their ideas and energy are shaping the future of Shellharbour, and we’re proud to support them every step of the way.
“With over 12,500 residents aged 12 to 24, youth represent an influential 16.4 per cent of Shellharbour’s population.
“Their voices and ideas are central to our city’s growth.”
Established in 2019, the Shellharbour Youth Summit unites young people from across the local government area to connect with peers, hear from inspiring speakers and leaders, and engage with different parts of the community.
For this year’s event, students came from Amity College, St Joseph’s Catholic High, Corpus Christi, Lake Illawarra High, Warilla High, Albion Park High, and Oak Flats High schools, along with young people from organisations such as Southern Youth and Family Services and Koori Youth – Aboriginal Kultcha Konnection.
Throughout the day, each student took part in interactive sessions with guest speakers, conversations with Shellharbour councillors, networking opportunities, as well as games, entertainment and giveaways.
It aimed to help foster leadership, personal growth and inspire participants to thrive in all areas of life.
Whether it was pro athletes, engineers or artists, each guest speaker and networking opportunity was a chance to show young people what was possible when they had a passion and purpose in life.
Other organisations part of the day were the University of Wollongong, TAFE NSW, Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra, Sonder Youth, and Warilla Neighbourhood Centre.
