Stories

We had the honour of hosting Ms Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, for a dialogue session with student leaders from tertiary schools across Singapore on 16 November. Ms Ardern shared a couple of personal stories, such as how her experiences had inspired her to want to better society, and how one of her early projects as a student leader involved campaigning for female students to be allowed to wear trousers, especially in colder weather.

Ms Ardern also talked about her leadership style, which emphasises values she holds dear—kindness, generosity and compassion. She encouraged the audience to resist the need to conform to the methods of predecessors, and to instead stick to their convictions to create their own brand of leadership.

The student leaders displayed incredible enthusiasm and curiosity during the Q&A session, discussing topics that ranged from youth mental health, the state of New Zealand's film industry in the wake of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, sustainable agriculture to curb climate change, ensuring technological equity in the digital age, to advice for young women and girls who want to enter politics or take on leadership roles.