We’re back for 2026! Thank you again for supporting a brilliant array of student presentations in 2025 — we hope to encounter such faithful responses again in 2026!
The Young Christian Thinkers Symposium provides an opportunity for students from the network of CEN schools across Victoria to collaboratively embark on a project that allows them to offer their heart, soul, strength and minds to a wider public. This stems from a belief that if our students are to be the critical Christian thinkers and creative minds of the future, we must give them the opportunity to exercise this capacity during their schooling and appreciate them now. Students nominated by their school will be given access to renowned Christian thinkers via the Catalyst Colloquium to stimulate thought and invite biblically inspired responses from students that could be analytically and/or creatively expressed. After a period to prepare a response, the experience will culminate in the in-person Young Christian Thinkers Symposium where teams from different schools present their learning to one another in a public forum in Melbourne.
2026 Themes: ‘Life in His Fullness’
In 2026 we are asking students to help us understand how we might live in the fullness of Christ today, focusing on three areas of contemporary life. The colloquium speakers are still in the process of being finalised.
Student teams will be asked to provide a response that connects directly or indirectly to the theme.
Dates:
Symposiums:
These events afford students the opportunity to share their team’s hard work, research, ideas and concerns in a public forum. Students are given 10 minutes to share their critical or creative response with all assembled teams, families and school representatives.
Young Christian Thinkers Symposium (Primary) — May 28, 2026
Young Christian Thinkers Symposium (Secondary) — May 29, 2026
Venue: Crossway Baptist Church Chapel – 2 Vision Drive, Burwood East
Time: 9:30 – 2pm
Students and staff are to bring their own morning tea and lunch. Various snacks and drinks will be provided throughout the day.
Teams will also need to have a School-based Coordinator, who will guide students through their preparation and attend both the Colloquium and the Symposium.
More details including speakers and venue details will be provided in the near future. For more detailed information, please contact Sam Waldron via email at [email protected]
