Year 12 student leads national conversation on AI in education

Year 12 student Hannes Ennemann recently represented Northern Beaches Christian School on the national stage as a featured speaker at the Entrepreneurial Educators Exchange (E3) Unconference, held at the Telstra Customer Insights Centre in Sydney.

As the only student presenter at the event, Hannes addressed an audience of educators, faculty leaders and principals from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, sharing his insights into the evolving challenges and opportunities presented by Generative AI in education.

Drawing on his own initiatives and ongoing research, Hannes explored how schools can better equip students to use AI responsibly, ethically and effectively in the classroom. His presentation also provided a unique student perspective on the rapidly changing role of technology in learning environments.

“The event also gave me the opportunity to hear directly from educators about how AI is currently being perceived and used in schools,” Hannes said. “It was incredibly valuable to gather perspectives from such a diverse group of educational leaders.”

At the conclusion of his session, Hannes challenged school representatives to commit to practical improvements in how students are supported in navigating AI technologies. More than 30 schools pledged to implement small but meaningful changes within their own communities.

The experience and data he gathered from the conference will help shape the content in the upcoming “NBCS Summit on the Impacts of AI on Young People,” which Hannes is co-hosting at NBCS on 5 June.

The summit will bring together a broad range of industry experts and educators, alongside student representatives from more than a dozen schools, to explore the implications of artificial intelligence for young people, learning and society.

The event reflects NBCS’s commitment to support students as they grow in their area of passion, ensuring they are equipped not only to adapt to the future, but to help shape it.