Leadership Across Borders: PAYA’s 2025 Youth Leadership Summit in Honiara
From 26–30 November 2025, I had the privilege of delivering my fourth Youth Leadership Summit through the Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA), this time in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Since launching the inaugural Summit in New Caledonia in 2022, followed by Tonga in 2023 and Nauru in 2024, it has been encouraging to see the program continue growing across the Pacific and bringing together young leaders from increasingly diverse backgrounds and communities.
The Youth Leadership Summit Honiara 2025 brought together delegates from Australia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, West Papua and Nauru under the theme “Youth Shaping Pacific Leadership, Environmental Sustainability and Financial Security”. Over four days, participants engaged in leadership workshops, governance discussions, entrepreneurship projects, cultural exchange activities and site visits focused on strengthening regional understanding and supporting youth-led solutions.
One of the sessions I particularly enjoyed was the Local Leadership Panel, where I had the opportunity to speak alongside Gladys Bartlett, Vice President of PAYA and President of the Solomon Islands Australia Alumni Association, and Josie-Anne Ashley from the Solomon Islands National Youth Congress. The session focused on our leadership journeys, youth development and the importance of creating opportunities for young people across the Pacific. It was also a valuable opportunity to hear directly from local youth leaders working within the Solomon Islands context and to exchange perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing young people across the region.
A strength of the Summit was the collaboration between local and international delegates throughout the program. Whether participating in the Pidgin language workshop, visiting the Solomon Islands National Parliament and National Museum, hiking to Tenaru Falls, or working together on entrepreneurship group projects, delegates had the opportunity to learn directly from one another and build genuine regional connections.
The Group Projects initiative again became one of the highlights of the Summit. Delegates worked in mixed teams to develop practical community-focused ideas linked to the Summit theme. The winning proposal, “Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop”, focused on providing young people with practical business and leadership skills through workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities. It was great to see participants thinking practically about how they could create opportunities within their own communities rather than waiting for outside solutions.
The feedback from delegates was incredibly positive. Post-event survey results showed that 100% of participants reported high or very high knowledge of project development following the program, while 87.5% reported improvements in leadership skills, teamwork and collaboration. More importantly, many delegates spoke about leaving the Summit with stronger confidence, new friendships and a broader understanding of youth challenges and opportunities across the Pacific.
Through both PAYA and the Global Institute for Leadership, I remain passionate about creating practical leadership opportunities that connect young people across borders and encourage collaboration, cultural understanding and community impact. Programs like this continue to show the value of investing in youth leadership at a regional level, particularly in the Pacific where relationships and people-to-people connections matter so deeply.
I would like to sincerely thank all delegates, volunteers, sponsors and partners who supported the 2025 Youth Leadership Summit. A special thank you goes to Local Summit Director Chrisam Habu and the Solomon Islands Local Summit Committee for their commitment and hard work throughout the planning and delivery of the program. Their efforts were central to the success of the Summit and helped create an incredibly welcoming experience for delegates visiting Solomon Islands.
As planning begins for the next Summit, I am looking forward to continuing to build opportunities for young Pacific leaders to connect, collaborate and contribute to the future of our region.