Altitude Day is an annual one-day event created to empower Year 9 students during this important stage in their school journey. Through a blend of inspirational talks and energising group activities, students will learn how to become active and inspiring leaders of their school and community.

Students will gain advice on how to make good choices, build their confidence and make a difference from three inspiring guest speakers, all whilst forming a strong network of peers from schools across the region. Altitude Day provides an environment where students can step outside the classroom to truly understand what it means to be a leader.

At Altitude Day, students will: 

• Identify ways to have a positive impact at their school (with or without a badge)

• Be challenged to step outside their comfort zone in a number of ways in a safe and supportive environment

• Identify their current capacities and future opportunities

• Reflect on the kind of leader they would like to be

• Connect with students from other schools and build their network

2024 DATES ANNOUNCED!

Toowoomba

Monday 13th May 2024 | Highfields Cultural Centre, Highfields

Sunshine Coast

Tuesday 14th May 2024 | UniSC Auditorium, Sippy Downs

Brisbane

Wednesday 15th May 2024 | Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane

Townsville

Thursday 16th May 2024 | Brothers Leagues Club, Kirwan | AT CAPACITY – WAITLIST ONLY

Rockhampton

Friday 17th May 2024 | Rockhampton Leagues Club, Rockhampton

Perth

Monday 20th May 2024 | Perth Town Hall, Perth

Canberra 

Monday 20th May 2024 | Ann Harding Conference Centre, Bruce

Adelaide

Tuesday 21st May 2024 | Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide

Sydney

Tuesday 21st May 2024 | Civic Pavilion @ The Concourse, Chatswood

Hobart

Wednesday 22nd May 2024 | Wrest Point, Sandy Bay

Melbourne

Thursday 23rd May 2024 | Uni Hill Conference Centre, Bundoora

Gold Coast

Friday 24th May 2024 | Bond University, Robina

All events run from 9am – 2pm with registration commencing at 8:30am.

yLead invites a range of guest speakers to Altitude Day. Whether they are new to the stage or world-class standard, our guests share their stories, experience and wisdom around pursuing passion, building resilience and how to make a difference. We’ll finalise speakers at your location closer to the time, but for now check out these past Altitude Day speakers – all remarkable young people doing incredible things in their communities.

Previous Guest Speakers:

Krushnadevsinh (Kano) Ravalji Founder of Third Culture (Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Sydney, Adelaide, Playford, Melbourne, Rockhampton, Gold Coast)

Award-winning advocate and speaker, Kano works with young people and multicultural communities to promote inclusion, equity and leadership. Kano worked with the North Melbourne Football Club to encourage multicultural people to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations and conducted research with the Australian National University and UNICEF into the experiences of young people with institutionalised racism. Currently, Kano is on a mission to share his message of inclusion all across the world and encourage others to join him in creating a more just and accepting world!

Ben Pettingill Blind Professional Speaker (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide, Playford)

It’s safe to say that blind professional speaker, Ben Pettingill is an expert when it comes to resilience and overcoming adversity. After losing his eyesight, overnight , at the tender age of 16, Ben learnt to not just accept his new situation but to embrace it. Ben is the guy who water-skis with direction through an ear piece, coaches’ basketball teams without being able to see the ball, and has even driven a car! He is not limited by circumstances and his potential is infinite. He is currently the only legally blind person in the world to have competed in a Spartan obstacle course race.

Abbie Williams Founder of Letters of Hope (Gold Coast)

Abbie’s lived experience of anxiety, depression and OCD fuelled a passion to help others going through similar circumstances and share her story to help others feel less alone. In 2018, Abbie founded mental health charity Letters of Hope, sending handwritten letters to people struggling with their mental health and filling them with kind words and coping strategies in the hope of showing people that there is good in the world, even on the darker days when it might not feel like it. Abbie is a Licensed Mental Health First Aid Instructor and an Ambassador for the Australia & New Zealand Mental Health Association.

Hunter Johnson Founder/CEO The Man Cave & HeadQuarters (Melbourne)

Hunter has a diverse background in emotional intelligence, youth leadership and social entrepreneurship. Through this work, Hunter has facilitated youth-work programs with over 10,000 young Australians across the country. Previously, Hunter has worked in the FYA Innovation Team, was an Advisor to the Nexus Youth Summit; and Co-Founded Kids in Philanthropy. Hunter is a 2017 Finalist in the Leadership Category of the Victorian Young Achievers Awards and a nominee for the 2017 Young Australian of the Year Awards.

Joshua Robson Founder of Turn Up (Hobart)

Josh is a testicular cancer survivor and founder of Turn Up. The purpose of creating Turn Up was to share Josh’s story about fighting testicular cancer with as many people as possible, sharing how his toughest days taught him to live his best life. Turn Up wants to bring awareness to appreciating your health, getting regular check-ups, and not ignoring warning signs. Turn Up emphasises how important it is to take that first step, which can be as simple as having a positive attitude. Josh also speaks about setting goals and surrounding yourself with the right people to help you achieve your dreams and give you courage when you need it most.

Zhanae Dodd First Nations cultural advocate (Rockhampton)

Zhanae is a proud Ghungalu, Birri, Widi/Wiri and Kaanju woman who lives on Darumbal Country. Zhanae has worked across many sectors including arts and culture, First Nations community, youth and social care, government and agriculture. Zhanae owns and runs her own business, Groove Co. while working as a researcher, stakeholder engagement adviser, uni student and board member. She is proud of her work spearheading the Yambanga Yuindi program – a cultural immersion and exchange program between Indigenous Australia and New Zealand – and was honoured to be a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Youth Medal in late 2022.

Dr Trudy Lin Young Australian of the Year 2022 (Adelaide)

Dr Trudy Lin is one of only 24 Special Needs Dentistry specialists in Australia, providing oral healthcare to people with disability, psychiatric conditions, and complex medical conditions such as cancer. She also treats people experiencing homelessness, trauma, and domestic violence. Trudy is also a passionate advocate for equitable access to oral healthcare as President-Elect of the Australian New Zealand Academy of Specialists in Special Needs Dentistry (ANZASND), volunteering as an Associate Advocate for Citizen Advocacy SA, supporting people with intellectual disability, and through her role in the National Disability Oral Health Collaboration (NDOHC).

Tom Price  Founder of You Are Not Alone (Brisbane)

Tom Price founded You Are Not Alone in late 2021, as a year 11 student, after seeing youth mental health affect him and people around him for the first time. He found speaking about mental health was the best way to normalise young people struggling, and wanted to do something to raise awareness. Tom made a short film with the support of his peers, which featured young people, celebrities and community members speaking about mental health. The initiative has grown significantly since 2021, including the awareness fun run in 2023. Funds raised through the event will allow the organisation to introduce positive mental health programs into schools around Australia.

Go here for a full list of this year’s speakers.

Can only Year 9 students attend?
Yes, the day has been crafted specifically for Year 9 students. yLead offers other experiences for other year levels. Please enquire through our website.

Do the students have to be in a junior leadership role?
No, Altitude Day is for everyone. Even the teachers love it!

When should I register?
ASAP!! Capacity is capped at all of our venues, and we operate a first-in-best-dressed system, so once places are gone they’re gone! Remember that Altitude Day is open to all students, not only badged leaders. We recommended getting in quick to open more students’ eyes to their leadership potential – those who make the biggest leaps on the day aren’t always the students you expect!

What are the times for the day?
All Altitude Days commence at 9:00am SHARP and close at 2:00pm SHARP. Everyone is to arrive and register by 8:45am. (Registration will close at this time.) Transport pickups should be arranged for after 2:10pm. There will be 2 x 20 minute breaks throughout the day.

Can students attend alone?
Unfortunately, not. Whilst we are in the conference space all students are highly engaged, but we do request a staff member to supervise their students during break times.

What do students need to bring?
Students will need to bring a pen, water bottle, and their lunch. An open mind, a willingness to network, and positive energy will also be welcomed at Altitude Day!

What are the details for teachers?
Teacher’s attendance is complimentary. We do encourage all to be involved throughout the day. Being part of the activities and networking will allow for the themes and messages from this shared experience to be strengthened back in a school environment.

Parking, drop off and bus zone details.
All registered schools will receive specific event details for their upcoming Altitude Day closer to the date.

Will food and drink be provided?
To ensure Altitude Day can be accessible to as many students as possible, students and teachers are asked to provide their own food and drink as they would on a normal school day. Tea and coffee will be available for teachers throughout the day.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us on 07 3266 2828. Our team loves to chat all things Altitude Day!