VOYCE: Voice of Youth Conference & Expo

Manning Entertainment Centre, 33 Manning River Drive, Taree

VOYCE: Voice of Youth Conference & Expo is a two-day event for high school students (15–17) who want to speak up, be heard, and get connected. It’s designed for young people who’ve faced tough stuff, or who just want real answers to real questions, even if they’re asking for a friend.

Choose either Thursday 18 Sept with AFL star Courtney Ugle or Friday 19 Sept with Comedian Andy Saunders!

You’ll have the opportunity to connect with local services who are actually here to help. You’ll get to ask anonymous questions, explore career paths. Plus join big convos about life, mental health, the future and more.

Thursday Night Youth Dinner – Let’s Celebrate!

Manning Entertainment Centre, 33 Manning River Drive, Taree

Thursday evening turns up the fun with a free Youth Dinner hosted by Andy Saunders.

Enjoy live music, entertainment, photo booth, finger food, games, and prizes. A perfect chance to relax, connect, and celebrate after a day of deep thinking.

Tickets

Tickets are free through your school. Choose either Thursday or Friday’s session, and request a dinner ticket too if you’re keen.

Your voice matters. Let’s talk.

Get Tickets

Guest Speakers

Thursday 18 September

Courtney Ugle

Courtney Ugle's life and career are testaments to her resilience, leadership, and advocacy. She's a favourite by many schools, councils and corporate businesses across Australia who engage her frequently to deliver presentations, keynote speeches, interactive workshops and inspirational talks - from a fascinating and captivating view.

As a proud Noongar woman from Bunbury, Western Australia, from a young child, Courtney Ugle has faced immense challenges. Despite these hardships, she found solace and strength in football, which has become a transformative force in her life. Excelling on the field and making meaningful contributions off it, Courtney's achievements in sports are just one facet of her impact.

Beyond the athletic field, Courtney is deeply committed to raising awareness about domestic violence. Drawing from her own experiences, she created Waangkiny, meaning “talking” in her language, a social enterprise where her mission is to empower individuals and communities to transforms adversity into influence through the power of storytelling.

Courtney advocates for change and has emerged as a spokesperson on issues of gender–based & family and domestic violence, resilience, and breaking cycles. She travels across the country delivering speeches and doing keynote presentations which have a powerful impact and are helping to inspire others to find their voice and overcome adversity.

In addition to her speaking engagements, Courtney works part-time for Djirra, an Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Service, where she coordinates and delivers the Young Luv workshop. This initiative focuses on promoting healthy and safe relationships among Aboriginal young girls and women, underscoring the importance of support networks, the power of community, and the transformative role sports can play in fostering positive life changes.

It's easy to see when you meet and hear from Courtney that her engagements will ignite a fire in people's bellies and inspire them to dream. She seeks to spark powerful conversations with open hearts and open minds.

Friday 19 September
Plus Thursday dinner host

Andy Saunders

Comedian Andy Saunders believes the best way to make the world a better place is through laughter.

With an extraordinary ability to use humour to break down barriers and stereotypes as well as provoke thought, he is a talented MC and entertainer who will grab your audience’s attention from the moment he walks onto the stage.

Andy Saunders has been telling jokes in front of audiences ever since he can remember… he was always destined to make people laugh.

Having become of Australia’s most popular and successful acts, Andy Saunders has performed and hosted events around the country at a variety of events and venues including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Deadly Funny; Adelaide Fringe Festival Aboriginal Comedy All Stars, ABC Comedy Up Late TV and Up Early TV. Andy Saunders appeared on Channel Ten’s Oxfam Gala TV and at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Channel 10 TV appearance 30th Birthday Big Bash in 2016.

VOYCE is made possible through these organisations:

ADAT, CDAT, Taree Universities Campus, Connected Communities, headspace, Manning Support Services, Mid Coast 4 Kids, Mid North Coast Community College, MidCoast Council, Saints Care, and The Smith Family.