Grip Leadership Conference

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On Tuesday, the student leaders travelled to Christchurch for the GRIP Student Leadership Conference on Wednesday.

We left school around midday and arrived in Christchurch around 4 pm. After shopping at the Riccarton Mall, we checked into Urbanz and wandered through the city center for dinner at the Little High Eatery. It was a relatively early start on Wednesday, and when we arrived at the conference, we were astounded at the massive amount of students present. The day consisted of various games and three sessions, where we were either together as a group or separated into our chosen electives. Between our student leadership team, we attended all sessions including:

  • Being a Student Leadership Team that Takes Steps Forward

  • Making Meetings More Effective (this was an optional session during the morning tea break, but the majority of us attended it anyway!)

  • The Sacrifices of a Student Leader

  • How to Make Our Events Matter

  • How to Lead When It Feels Like Nobody Wants to Follow

  • How to Make Improvements to Our School Culture

  • How Can I Improve My Leadership Effectiveness


Comments from student leaders about the GRIP conference:

Sarah: This GRIP conference We attended helped me see leadership from a new perspective. It made me realize that every leader has their ups and downs, and the most important thing is to accept yourself and be self-aware. I also learned that you don't have to be at the forefront to lead, as you can always lead from behind the scenes. A great leader knows their strengths and weaknesses but still approaches new challenges with an optimistic attitude.

Kyra: It surprised me how much I enjoyed GRIP and how much I got out of it. For me, it was mainly a reiteration of the various aspects important to being a student leader, and how these influence our effectiveness to the school.

Ciaran: The conference was styled in a way that everyone could relate to, so it was very effective so we can build and grow our unity and harmony as a leadership team. It's not a trip to be skipped.

Döme: It was a well organised conference, where everyone could learn more about leadership in one way or another. Personally, I favoured the mini workshops - based on activities and the little workbook we have been provided with - more than the group sessions in the hall. I would definitely recommend it for future leaders, or anyone interested in leadership.

Zak: It’s not a trip to be skipped, you could say I was GRIPped. We all went to the mall, played pool, and then we were crammed full of leadership tools I can’t wait to use at our school. I would say it was pretty cool, overall.

Jono: An amazing conference! Lots of fun, I got to go up on stage and get called ‘Harry Potter’ in front of a few hundred people! Aside from the fun games, there were lots of genuine learning opportunities, on how to manage individuals, keep them invested, making meetings meaningful. Lots of lessons I’m sure the Student Leadership team can use!

Jakob: The GRIP conference was an amazing experience that I would recommend to all student leaders in the coming years. The lessons were all extremely valuable and I was able to take away many improvements I can make to my leadership, also with new and different ways of leading groups.

Jude: I am very happy I had the opportunity to attend the Grip Conference with the other student leaders at my school. I found It enjoyable and I was able to learn what the qualities of a good leader and how I can make my leadership effective and help others more positively.

Ella: I really enjoyed the GRIP leadership conference our student leadership team attended this Wednesday. It was really great to socialise and share ideas with different schools and I felt it sparked ideas and brought new perspectives that we can utilize at school. It was also really beneficial to John Paul II’s leadership team as a whole as it allowed collaboration and brought us closer together as a team.

Jess: The Grip leadership conference was a great opportunity for us student leaders to hear from others about their styles of leadership and get lots of great ideas from them. The event was full of fun games and interesting topics like the sacrifice of being a leader, and how to make meetings more effective, etc. I personally have taken a lot away from this opportunity and I am excited to incorporate it in my leadership at John Paul.

Pyper: The GRIP leadership conference was definitely one to remember! I gained so much knowledge about what it is to be a leader and about how I can become a stronger leader for our school. The conference involved discussions between our JPII leadership team, but also discussions between other high school student leaders. The whole experience was eye opening and I learned so much not only to help myself but also our school. I really hope this trip continues for years to come!

As you can see from the wonderful comments regarding the GRIP Conference, the 2024 student leaders enjoyed the trip and would recommend it to JPII’s future student leaders in the coming years. Since this was the first time JPII had ever attended this conference, we were really impressed with the content involved and recognized that there is something everyone can get out of it. We would also like to extend a massive thank you to Ms. Hutchinson, Madeleine Castle, Ms. Coulthard, and Mr. Steggles for each of their contributions. This trip could not have gone ahead without your time and effort. Thanks!!

-Written by 2024 Student Leaders