Celebrating 40 years of Voice of Youth and the power of student voice

Year 6 students from 58 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) Primary schools came together at St John XXIII Catholic College Stanhope Gardens on 22 September for the Voice of Youth Grand Final, showcasing their public speaking skills through a series of thoughtful and engaging speeches.

Now in its 40th year, Voice of Youth continues to encourage students to think critically, speak confidently and share their perspectives on issues that matter to them, while developing skills that will support them well beyond the classroom.

Selected from approximately 2,600 students who competed across CSPD’s diocesan clusters, the six Grand Final finalists were:

Archer N. from Sacred Heart Primary Westmead, “The Unknown Terrain of High School”
Priya I. from St Matthew’s Primary Windsor, “The World's Greatest Superpower is Empathy”
Saraya W. from St Angela's Primary Castle Hill, “The Unknown Soldier: The Voice We Carry Forward”
William O. from St Bernadette’s Primary Castle Hill, “Be Your Best Friend, Not Your Worst Enemy”
Dominic B. from Trinity Catholic Primary Kemps Creek, “Look Up - The Negative Impacts that Technology Has on Our Social Life”
Sienna L. from St Luke's Catholic College Marsden Park, “The Effects of Social Media on our Health”

Voice of Youth organiser and MC Attila Lendvai, Principal of Holy Cross Primary Glenwood, has been involved with the competition for many years and continues to see the value it provides students.

“Voice of Youth is about much more than just public speaking, it's about nurturing the skills that sit beneath effective communication,” Attila said. “And in a world that increasingly demands clear, courageous and compassionate communication, the ability to express ideas effectively has never been more important.”

Students are judged across a range of criteria, including the quality of their thesis statement, speech delivery, gestures, tone of voice and overall effect.

Archer from Sacred Heart Primary Westmead was named the 2026 Voice of Youth winner for his speech, “The Unknown Terrain of High School”, which compared the transition to high school to starting a new video game:

“Every great game starts with an unexplored map. The challenge seems difficult at first, but with every step we gain experience and skills. High school may be unknown terrain today, but one day we will look back and realise it was never about knowing the whole map. It was about being brave enough to press start.”

For Archer, the topic also reflected his own experience of change this year, following the merger of his former school, Mother Teresa Primary, into a new Sacred Heart Primary Westmead.

“The original school I was at was Mother Teresa Primary, and at the beginning of this term there's a new building on site and we've actually merged the schools to become Sacred Heart Primary,” Archer said. “It's a bit like the experience of going to high school and finding new friends as well.”

The overall runner-up was Priya from St Matthew’s Primary Windsor, recognised for her speech, “The World's Greatest Superpower is Empathy”:

“The best superheroes don't just save cities, they save confidence, friendships and sometimes they save someone from feeling completely invisible. And here's the best news: you don't need a cape, you don't need muscles, you don't need to be popular. Every person here already has the superpower, you just have to choose it.”

Special guest Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv applauded the finalists for their talent, creativity and ability to engage with important issues.

“I was in awe of the depths of their talent, their creativity, and their ability to think critically,” said Bishop Vincent. “I think that's something that I am so encouraged by. They are able to reflect on the many issues that they care about.”

For 40 years, Voice of Youth has provided generations of young people across CSPD with an opportunity to find their voice, build confidence and engage with issues affecting their communities and the wider world.

“This has been a long-standing tradition that inspires, challenges and empowers young people across our diocese,” Attila said. “For four decades, this competition has proved a unique opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate their voice.”

Written By

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au

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Our social media is one small window into some of the wonderful things that happen across our schools every day. You’ve probably noticed that we’re changing some of the ways we share these stories as we put recent recommendations from the eSafety Commissioner into practice. You will start to see fewer identifiable student images, and more of what happens around them - the work, the creativity, the achievement, the teamwork and the people who make it all happen. It’s a different way of telling the story. But there are still plenty of stories to tell! The safety and wellbeing of our students are always our highest priorities. This approach allows us to continue celebrating the learning, achievements and everyday moments that make our school communities so special, while being thoughtful about how student images are shared online. Our social media may look a little different, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still see some faces from time to time as we work with schools and families to share identifiable images when they help to tell an important part of the story and where permissions have been provided. Our purpose remains the same: sharing the inspiring stories of our 80 school communities across Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.