CQU Vice-Chancellor John Rickard encouraged more than 700 area high school students at a special youth forum to be “passionate and resilient” in pursuing their dreams and life-goals.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 16 or 86 ... when you’re motivated, when you have the right knowledge and the right tools, when you’re challenged to do your best, you’re on your way,” said Professor Rickard, who opened Step to the Future, a national youth forum sponsored by CQU on March 10 at the Pilbeam Theatre.

The Forum, designed to instil in students a very positive attitude about their future, drew young people from as far as Kingaroy (5 hours from Rockhampton).

There were presentations from a range of speakers from various fields such as business, sports, law and education.

All of them shared personal experiences on how they have achieved their dreams and how education has played a significant role in making their dreams a reality.

CQU subsidised the costs of tickets and transportation.

“What’s important about our involvement with this type of event is that young people feel better about themselves, better equipped to make informed choices about their future, and believing that they’re unique, special, and capable of anything,” explained Professor Rickard.