“You are here because you care about your community … you care about your country … you care about your culture and you want to play your part in making your community stronger.”
– Senator Penny Wong
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong addressed the Pacific-Australian Emerging Leaders Summit (PAELS) hosted by Micah Australia and the Pacific Conference of Churches in November.
Now in its third year, PAELS gathered a diverse delegation that included 34 young leaders from 16 Pacific Island nations, nine First Nations leaders and 23 leaders from the wider Australian family. UnitingWorld helped bring 11 delegates from our Pacific partner churches and 17 young leaders from Uniting Churches across NSW, VIC, QLD and WA to PAELS 2024.
It was great to see so many young people forging deep and valuable connections with other young leaders and change makers from our partner churches across our region.
Victoria Su’a Falo, a first-time delegate from St Johns Uniting Church in Essendon (VIC), said it was a powerful time spent shaping her values as a Pacific emerging leader. She said:
“I felt a strong sense of unity and empowerment being amongst Pacific indigenous, First Nations communities, Pacific diaspora and extended Australians.”
Following advocacy training in groups, PAELS delegates spent a full day of meetings with Members of Parliament to share their vision of a safer, more just and sustainable future.
Special thank you to the Synod of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania and Uniting Mission and Education (UME) in NSW for sponsoring Uniting Church delegates to attend from interstate.