Stonnington Big Ideas Forum 2025

 This year’s Big Ideas Forum is back with Tales to Trails: Mapping Your Leadership Path! Explore and connect with your heritage, passions, and experiences to strengthen your leadership skills. Hear from inspiring changemakers, participate in engaging workshops, and connect with like-minded youth.

Date: Tuesday, 17 June

Time:  9.00am – 2.45pm

Venue: Malvern Town Hall

Contact: To register or learn more, contact youth@stonnington.vic.gov.au

Meet Kano

Krushnadevsinh (Kano) Ravalji is the founder of Third Culture Australia and a Youth Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, he works to empower young people and multicultural communities through school programs, keynotes, and policy engagement. Kano recently hosted Australia’s first youth-led conference focused on leadership and wellbeing, attended by over 120 professionals. His contributions have earned him accolades including the VicHealth Future Changemaker Award and Wyndham City’s Young Citizen of the Year. A regular voice in national media, he champions identity, equity, and systemic change to support the wellbeing of young people.

Kano's Workshop

Let’s flip the script on what leadership looks like. In this workshop, we will explore what it means to lead with empathy, purpose and still make an IMPACT. Through meaningful but fun hands-on activities, we’ll unpack how kindness is our strength and how we can use this powerful tool for leadership. Whether it’s at school, in your friend group or out in the community, we’ll explore how to bring people together, create change and stay true to who you are. Leadership doesn’t have to boring or bossy, let’s find out how we can make it fun, real and something that makes everyone included!

Meet Lydia

Lydia Tesema is an award-winning MC, Host, Presenter, Moderator, Interviewer, Speaker, Creator, Youth Programs Developer and Facilitator, Cultural Consultant and the founder of Below The Surface - a platform that champions authentic storytelling, youth and community empowerment and cross-cultural experiences and dialogue.

Born and raised in Melbourne with proud Ethiopian roots, Lydia's journey is uniquely shaped by her experiences across diverse cultural landscapes and her dynamic career spanning multiple industries. From the rich traditions of her African heritage to the vibrant multicultural fabric of Australia and global influences, Lydia has become a dynamic, globally-minded voice, seamlessly connecting different worlds with her charismatic presence, sharp intellect, and deep curiosity. 

At the heart of Lydia's work lies her passion for making sense of the world through authentic connection, creative expression, and inspiring the next generation to lead with purpose and courage. Her award-winning impact and exceptional ability to engage and elevate conversations have made her an in-demand collaborator across the Entertainment, Cultural, Commercial, Governmental and Not-For-Profit sectors.

Meet Sonny-Jane

Sonny is a powerhouse advocate, author, and educator who’s proudly queer, neurodivergent, disabled and totally defiant. They’ve taken their lived experience and turned it into a paradigm shift — challenging outdated ideas about neurodivergence and helping organisations build affirming, inclusive spaces for neurodivergent people.

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