Written by Alexandra Ryan, The World’s Greatest Shave.
One of the things I love most about the World’s Greatest Shave is that students are at the heart of it.
Across hundreds of schools around Australia, I’ve watched students take an idea and make it their own. They recruit their friends. They speak at assemblies. They convince teachers to get involved. They organise events, solve problems, rally their community and, ultimately, stand up in front of their peers and do something brave for people they may never meet.
Yes, they raise money for Australians facing blood cancer. But along the way, something else happens: they learn that they have the ability to create change.
I think we should give young people more opportunities to discover that.
Leadership doesn’t have to come with a badge
When we talk about student leadership, our minds often go to formal structures: school captains, prefects, SRCs and student representative groups.
Those opportunities are incredibly valuable. But there are also students sitting outside those structures who have the potential and desire to lead – they just need an opportunity to try.
Over nearly 30 years, the World’s Greatest Shave has created that opportunity.
A student might lead the whole campaign, or take responsibility for one small part of it. A Year 12 student might mentor a younger student through their first fundraising event, be it a bake sale or a Crazy Hair Day. Someone who would never nominate for school captain might discover they’re brilliant at rallying their peers by creating great posters or emails on the school intranet. Another might find the confidence to speak at an assembly, approach a local business or organise an event.
Leadership can look like standing on a stage. But it can also look like initiative, problem-solving, teamwork, empathy, creativity and bringing other people with you. Sometimes young people just need somewhere to practise it.
From fundraising to active citizenship
For me, this is where the World’s Greatest Shave becomes much bigger than a fundraising event. At its best, it is an exercise in active citizenship.
Students learn about an issue affecting people in their community. They decide they want to do something about it. They mobilise others around a shared purpose. They build relationships across their school and broader community. And then they see the tangible impact of their collective action.
A student who participated recently described the experience beautifully: “It changed what I thought I was capable of and that I could make a difference, despite being just a teenager.”
That is exactly what we want young people to understand.
Being an informed, active and compassionate citizen isn’t something that suddenly begins when you turn 18 and all of a sudden, you get keys to a car and the right to vote.
Young people can contribute to their communities right now – and schools can provide incredibly powerful environments for them to learn how.
A shared purpose can change the energy of a school
There’s another benefit of the World’s Greatest Shave that is harder to quantify, but immediately obvious when you see it. Shared purpose creates connection.
A great school World’s Greatest Shave event can bring together students across year levels, friendship groups and existing leadership structures. Older students mentor younger students. Teachers and students work alongside each other. Families, local businesses and community members get involved.
And because students have genuine ownership of the experience, they’re not simply participating in something the school has organised for them. They are helping create it. That distinction matters.
We regularly hear from schools about the energy and momentum the World’s Greatest Shave creates in their student body. There is excitement, of course, but also an extraordinary sense of collective pride: we did this together.
For schools looking for meaningful ways to strengthen student voice, belonging and community connection, that can be incredibly powerful.
Helping more young people discover what they’re capable of
This year, we’re building on this idea through free World’s Greatest Shave School Leadership Sessions in local communities around Australia.
These sessions bring students from different schools together to explore leadership, community impact and how young people can turn an idea into action. Importantly, they aren’t just for the students already wearing leadership badges.
We’d love schools to bring along anyone who could benefit: emerging leaders, younger students with potential, students who might thrive given an opportunity outside traditional leadership structures, alongside your existing student leaders.
And there is no obligation to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave afterwards.
We want these sessions to be valuable in their own right: an opportunity for young people to connect with peers, build confidence, develop practical leadership capability and think about the contribution they can make to their communities.
Because ultimately, the World’s Greatest Shave has always been powered by young people.
Our job is to give them the platform, tools and support. Then we get out of the way and let them show us what they can do.
If your school would like to attend a free School Leadership Session in your local area, or simply learn more about how the World’s Greatest Shave can support student leadership, active citizenship and community connection at your school, we’d love to hear from you.
Alexandra Ryan
aryan@leukaemia.org.au
Head of the World’s Greatest Shave
Leukaemia Foundation