Event Date: 1 July to 4 July 2025
Registration Close: 11:55pm 13 June 2025
Location: Belgrave Heights Hope Centre
Cost: $400 – $450 (depending on subsidies that may apply)
Winter Conference (WinCon) is Power to Change’s annual conference during winter break where we gather students from all around Victoria. Our theme for 2025 is “the Spirit-Filled Life”– you can learn more about who the Holy Spirit is, and how we can walk and live by the Spirit.
WinCon features teaching from our keynote speaker, Liz Folland from Power to Change, practical training, journey groups, and an opportunity to hang out and have fun with other like-minded students. So whether you have been following Jesus for years, or are exploring Christian faith for the first time, we would love to have you at our Victoria Winter Conference!
Our speaker: Liz Folland
When I’m not busy managing the very full social lives of my husband Geoff and our two young adult roomies (otherwise known as our children, Philip and Katrise), you’ll find me wearing my other hat as the National Leader for Leadership Development and Human Resources (LDHR) with Power to Change Australia.
I’ve been on this wild ride with Power to Change since my uni days—when I was earning a speech writing degree and moonlighting at a Colorado radio station. I’ve had the privilege of serving in three countries, and I never get tired of watching God use the power of story to swing open doors for the Holy Spirit to do His thing.
Everything shifted for me in Year 12 when I first learned about the Holy Spirit. That moment flipped a switch in my heart—and then in the hearts of my friends. A tiny group of eight of us who started meeting in January somehow exploded to over 500 gathering every Monday night by May. It was beautiful chaos, and God was at the centre of it all.
Two fun facts to toss into the mix: I was born in a house that’s now a national museum (yep, it’s the second most visited private home in the U.S.—no pressure), and I went to a high school that’s internationally infamous. I’ll let you decide whether that’s a badge of honour or a cautionary tale.
Worship: There will be daily opportunities to come together to worship God through music. A playlist will be sent out so you can get familiar with songs we will sing to. You could even listen to it and worship on the drive to the conference!
Time Alone with God (TAWG): While we will have plenty of time to learn together, we also desire you to have time alone to read the Bible, engage with God, pray, and process anything you may be learning. There will be time in the morning for this, so grab your cup of coffee and spend time alone with God at WinCon!
Training: We’ll break into smaller groups to explore the Christian faith deeper, or receive practical training based on growing, sharing and multiplying your faith. Some of the training relates to learning how to talk to people about Jesus, how to disciple other students, or be part of leading a Christian movement at your campus!
Teaching: Liz Folland, our keynote speaker, will be providing our main talks during sessions. Liz will be teaching us about who the Holy Spirit is, and how we can live a Spirit-filled life, and what that means for us.
Free Time/Nightlife: We like to learn together, but also just relax and have fun. Sports, crafts, boardgames and other activities are what students typically find themselves doing during their free time. In the evenings, there will be time to play games, chat over supper, and go deeper with those you have been connecting with.
Missions: Power to Change desires the gospel to be made known not only on our university campuses in Australia, but throughout the whole world! With this in mind, we’ll get to hear about the places we can go over the summer to serve and engage people in conversations about Jesus.
Outreach: We will take some time during the week to reach out to our friends, and not just learn how to navigate spiritual conversations, but put those things into practice!
Campus Time: Connect with people from your own campus. Campus time is important to us because it encourages us to continue pursuing God and community even after the conference ends.
International Community: Winter Conference is a place for both local Australian and international students to come together, connecting with Jesus and each other. There will be opportunities for our friends whose first language is not English to experience training and community alongside other international students.
There will also be a range of seminars you can attend, and you will have the opportunity to be a part of a small journey group over the conference.
The best way to experience all of this and more is to come along and join us for Winter Conference!
Mandatory – Please bring the following items with you to Winter Conference:
Optional Items:
Conference Costs:
The cost for Winter Conference is $450. This covers four days of accommodation, meals, materials, and more.
$50 discount is available for First Years and Seekers (Non-Christians).
There is a special referral bonus of $50 for both you (as referrer) and anyone you additionally invite (who is NOT already connected to Power to Change) and registers for Winter Conference, e.g. if Tom invites Pamela, and Pamela signs up to join Winter Conference, then both Tom and Pamela receive a $50 discount from their registration cost. If Pamela does NOT sign up, then Tom won’t get the referral bonus. There is no limit to the number of referral bonuses you can claim.
If you would like to attend but finances are tight, please don’t hesitate to reach out, especially if you are a student exploring Christianity for the first time, or studying internationally. Part-time costs can be negotiated. Contact kevin.wong@powertochange.org.au for more info.
Venue:
Belgrave Heights Hope Centre
3 Convention Avenue
Belgrave Heights, VIC 3160
Transport:
You can train to Tecoma Station and we’ll come pick you up as long as we know you’re coming via train, so please let us know on your registration form.
You can drive yourself or with others at your own risk.
Why should I attend Winter Conference?
Power to Change’s Winter Conference is specifically designed to help you – as a student in Victoria – join with other students from your campus / state in living out Jesus’ teaching in everyday life. It is also an environment where you can join with others in exploring more about who Jesus is, and what Christianity faith is all about.
Winter Conference will help cultivate friendship with others on campus that we hope will continue throughout your time on campus. We will be discussing things relevant to the uni context, providing practical skills to help you follow Jesus not only for the rest of semester, but for a lifetime.
You will slowly learn more about Power to Change, a movement desiring to help people connect with Jesus today, impact Australia tomorrow, and reach the nations for eternity.
Who else will be at Winter Conference? Can I invite friends who have no connection with Power to Change?
Winter Conference is designed with a focus on uni students from Victoria, the majority of participants. If you know others in the young adult space who would be happy connecting with Power to Change in Belgrave Heights for a week, then absolutely we would love for them to join us.
We even build a $50 Referral Bonus into the Conference, allowing $50 discount BOTH for you and any friends you have invited along and register.
Should I attend Winter Conference even if I am not a Christian yet?
Absolutely, you are totally welcome to join us! In many ways we hope to be a ‘Christian group for non-Christians.’
Winter Conference is for any uni student, regardless of their spiritual background, who are open to exploring Christian faith and discovering who Jesus is. If you are not a Christian, you won’t be ‘pushed’ into participating in activities you do not feel comfortable with, and there will always be alternative options available.
Is it an issue if I don’t know anyone else going to Winter Conference?
There are plenty of opportunities to get to know others at Winter Conference. Come to think of it, Conference is especially designed for students who are seeking to make friends, and we work this into the schedule.
You will be assigned a Journey Group, to pray, process and reflect with a cohort of others. You will also connect with those in your room, in your training group, and through a host of other activities. Flexi Time and nightlife are also spaces where you will get to meet new friends.
What do I need to bring?
You can find a list of what to bring with you to Winter Conference on the “What to Bring” tab.
What is the Accommodation / Site like?
The Winter Conference venue, Belgrave Heights Hope Centre, is a beautiful space recently built at the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre. We had our Connect Camp here, and loved it so much that we have decided to come back to the location! The whole venue has heating, which is brilliant for the cold winter days in July.
Breakfast, morning snacks, lunch, afternoon snacks, dinner and supper will all be catered for by the site.
Who will I be rooming with?
You will be allocated a room with a few other people of the same gender. During registration, you can indicate if there are people you would particularly like to room with, and we will do our best to have you bunk with them. However if you don’t have a particular preference, or don’t know anyone else at Winter Conference, you’ll be placed with people from your campus to help you engage with new friends.
Can you help me understand the cost?
We’re committed to organising a quality Winter Conference, as well as seeking to keep costs low. We hope we have landed on an affordable conference! The cost of $450 covers food, accommodation, training and conference materials, equipment, activities, and more.
It is our hope that what you leave with– the memories involved in connecting with Jesus and others at Winter Conference– will be more than worth any material cost!
How do I pay?
When you register, you will be able to select your preferred payment method of debit or credit card. If you cannot pay through that, ask your leader you know best, or contact kevin.wong@powertochange.org.au for more info.
I cannot afford Winter Conference; are there any discounts?
We know that Winter Conference can be expensive for some students. We do not desire for $$ to impede students joining in for Winter Conference, so if you are unable to afford the conference cost, please contact the Power to Change worker you know best from your campus, to discover the subsidies / discounts available (or contact kevin.wong@powertochange.org.au).
If your question isn’t answered here, please contact us.
Hoodies – Vic WinCon 2025 exclusive!
You can purchase a hoodie (for $50) if you sign up by 16th May. Orders for hoodies will close on the 16th of May 11.59pm, if you do not register by then, unfortunately we won’t be able to add your order to be ready by WinCon.
Each hoodie will be $50 in addition to your conference fee.
Please refer to the photos for the design and hoodie sizes.
Other Merch!
We will also have some other T-Shirts available for purchase at the conference!
Please check out out Insta / Facebook for updates on Winter Conference, and Power to Change Monash Activities more broadly
For any Conference Questions, please contact:
Kevin Wong (Winter Conference Director) at 0411331039 or kevin.wong@powertochange.org.au
Or monash.clayton@powertochange.org.au
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