The 2025 De Mazenod Family Education Network (DMFEN) Student Leaders Conference was an enriching and transformative experience for student leaders across Australia. Hosted by St Eugene College at the stunning Luther Heights Camp Site in Coolum, this annual event provided students with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, engage in faith-based discussions, and build meaningful connections—all while enjoying the beauty of Coolum Beach.
School Captains and other elected leaders from Mazenod College WA, Iona College QLD, Mazenod College VIC, and St Eugene College QLD came together to represent their colleges, share their experiences, and discuss their hopes for the year ahead. Ms Louise Olley warmly welcomed all participants, setting the stage for an inspiring conference led by the Oblate Fathers and newly appointed Provincial Fr Andrew Chen OMI.
Fr Michael Twigg OMI focussed on the identity of St Eugene de Mazenod and how his experiences influenced his work. He also explained how the Oblates were formed and how a charism is established. Fr Harry Dyer OMI provided staff and students with an insight into the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Australian Province / China Delegation. Fr Andrew titled his talk “Pilgrims of Hope” and used the Jubilee Year to inspire everyone about the true essence of leadership in the context of Christ and the Gospels. He started his presentation quoting Pope Francis and the Holy Father’s hopes for the world in 2025.
“The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the
hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to
recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and
in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international
relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all
persons and respect for God’s gift of creation.”
(Pope Francis, Spes Non Confundit 25)
Fr Joe Antony OMI and the respective college leaders provided their insights and experiences during workshops, activities, panels and casual discussions.
The student leaders addressed the conference on the first day, sharing information about projects and actions that build and nourish the De Mazenod Family Charism at their school. Throughout the conference students discovered strategies on how to host discussions effectively, utilizing various models and techniques, to engage young people and allow them to be genuinely involved.
Topics included: Social Justice, Respect, Building Integrity, Prayer and Devotion and Sustainability. In fact, the number of topics expanded throughout the conference, highlighting the need to be strategic to ensure outcomes can be reached. Schools are very busy places and sharing workloads by building teams to share responsibilities was discussed. Words such as authentic, vulnerable, courageous were used to appreciate the styles of leadership required as well.
Mr Ben Devlin and Mr Trevor Goodwin amused and challenged the students with their interactive and comprehensive presentations recognizing the qualities of good leadership such as having effective habits and utilizing teamwork.
The students embraced the opportunity and the challenges of the conferences. On the last day they were asked to identify priorities and recognizable outcomes for their year. The students did a brilliant job and were clearly grateful to the staff for not only sharing their expertise and their experience, but for their generosity and passion to provide student voice in our colleges.
It was very clear to all who attended we are very blessed to have the Oblate Fathers, dedicated staff and inspiring young people in our colleges. Bring on 2025.
