CHRISTIAN Camilleri will head to Prague in June on the second part of his journey to being a future leader.
However, before the 16-year-old jets off for the week-and-a-half World Cultural Experience, he plans to thrust into the spotlight Werribee’s worrying problem of homeless youth.
“It’s quite overlooked,” Christian said from his Hoppers Crossing home.
“I can’t stand by and watch without getting involved.”
Christian will hold a rock concert through the Open Family’s Outreach program to raise money for the homeless and disadvantaged, as part of the Youth International Leadership, which brings together about 100 students from 20 countries.
Westbourne Grammar Year 11 teachers chose Christian to take part in the prestigious leadership program, and last July he jetted off to Washington DC for a World Leaders Conference, thus completing part one of the three year course.
“Everyone spoke English, to different degrees,” he said with a laugh.
“It was such a great experience.”
Wyndham City Council last year granted Christian $500 towards his trip through the Mayoral Young Potential Scheme.
And he will graduate from the program next year in Cambridge, England.
Students on the trips, aged between 13 and 16, listen to speakers, take part in debates, and learn about world events and mediation techniques.
Christian listed white water rafting and boat building among his favourite highlights.
He learned through the activities to carry on conversations with teenagers from Russia and Moldavia.
They possessed only a limited English vocabulary but Christian now considers them great friends and keeps up with via the internet.
This year’s course assessment calls for him to take on a community service project, and he chose the rock concert.
Ironically, Christian helped organisers with a tsunami fundraising rock concert last year and couldn’t have known he would be in charge of a similar event this year.
“But I wanted to do it on a much bigger scale.”
Last October he contacted radio stations JJJ, RRR, and SYN FM for sponsorship and promotion to get the ball rolling.
And in just a few weeks, he will see all his hard work bear fruit.
Christian invites teens from across the state to the concert on 8 April, at the Melbourne High School, in South Yarra.
Eight student bands will play a combination of rock, punk, pop and covers to an expected crowd of up to 1000. Tickets are $10 pre-sale or $12 at the door.
Christian wants to fashion his own career, saying: “I’m not sure politics is really me, but I would like to get into international business.”
