Aspiring Leaders' Forum on faith and values : 22-25 July 2010

The Aspiring Leaders' Forum is an annual four day event that brings together the brightest, most committed and courageous young leaders from across all sectors and towns in New Zealand. It is run largely by a community of volunteers, which continues to grow after each successful event.

We are excited to announce that we are in the preparation stages for our 5th annual event, the dates of which have been confirmed for the 22 – 25 July.

Nominations for the 2010 event opened on March 15th and a number of nomination packs have been sent out to Mayors, Universities, Members of Parliament and current leaders from all communities around New Zealand. We have invited them to nominate young leaders from their community, who currently lead or aspire to leadership in their particular field, be it in the arts, sports, creative or academic arena. As nominations come in we will begin the process of registering the delegates for the Forum and will work with them individually to prepare them for the event.

We rely on the community to nominate the delegates, recognising young leaders from all spheres of life. If you have a young leader in mind and feel that they would benefit from the Forum, please contact us for a nomination pack.

We are looking forward to meeting and engaging with the delegates and are confident that they will be challenged and developed as leaders as they consider leadership in light of faith and values.

What's the Forum about?

Each year thousands of young New Zealanders grapple with the task of answering some of the fundamental questions of life. Which direction should I take? What will I do with my life? What is my purpose?

It is this stage of life that is one of the most important – these young New Zealanders are in the process of determining their direction, they have begun to develop a critical-thinking approach to life, they are defining goals and aspirations and yet their ideals are still intact. One day these young people will lead our nation. Their view of leadership and what it means to lead is therefore of critical importance to New Zealand's future.

The Aspiring Leaders' Forum on faith and values attempts to bridge the growing divide between our nation's young people and its leaders as they come together in Wellington to debate and discuss the ideas and philosophies of leadership. While Members of Parliament will host the Forum, the focus is not purely politics: it is about encouraging young people to be better leaders in the areas of society they are engaged in, be it the arts, business, politics or sport.

There are always more followers than leaders, yet one leader can affect the lives of millions. Our hope is that the Forum will build a bridge from one generation to the next, inspiring and elevating our young people's expectations of leadership.