Kildare Education Ministries Social Justice Seminar

Last week, a group of five student leaders from Years 10 and 11 embarked on a transformative journey to the Kildare Education Ministries Social Justice Seminar. This enlightening seminar focused on the struggles faced by marginalized communities and empowered us to take action as leaders in our school community to make the needs of the vulnerable paramount.

On Thursday morning, we arrived at the Edmund Rice Centre in Lower Plenty, a divine estate built in the late 1920s that served as a Christian Brother’s Convent for over 30 years. Upon arrival, we were greeted by students from other Kildare Ministries schools from all over Australia, including schools from Adelaide, Sydney and Queensland.

After a delicious morning tea, we settled into the first of many sessions. Our introduction to the seminar focused on promoting social justice with Advocacy (Heads), Activism (Hearts) and Action (Hands). We talked about the Catholic Social Teaching Principles and how  “applying a lense” can assist us in building solutions for the marginalised. A quote which resonated with me was from Sister Brigid Arthur, one of the founding members of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP). The quote read “Even if you can’t do anything for them, think kindly of them”. Ideas including ‘Equity vs Equality’, ‘Promoting others to the same, equal playing field’, and ‘Human family means welcoming all’ were the topics of our conversations.

The sessions were filled with countless guest speakers. Violet and Victoria from the Josephite Action Group (JAG) shared their views. JAG follows the teachings of Saint Mary MacKillop and promotes her beliefs of social justice in their work. Through their presentation, they highlighted the importance of ensuring that each person is met with the same respect and consideration, no matter their background or experiences. They introduced the idea of using social media to promote social justice to younger generations and using it to involve others in our ambitions.

Another wonderful pair of guest speakers were Rob and Ann from the St Vincent De Paul Society. With them, we analysed the concerning rising rate of homelessness in Victoria. 25% of Victorians without a home are young people between the ages of 12 to 24 years old, with women being particularly highlighted in this statistic.

Homelessness is far more than “rooflessness”, it refers to not having a safe place to live. Diana’s story provided us with an eye opening vision of these struggles.

Diana faced domestic violence from her husband, forcing her and her son into homelessness. With her son completing his final year of high school, the pressure was overwhelming. They fled one night, leaving everything behind, finding safety only in a McDonald’s car park. For three weeks, they lived in their car, isolated and without financial aid. Through Vinnies’ support, Diana secured housing and financial help. She recalls the kindness of workers Jane and Jean, who offered nonjudgmental assistance. Since 2017, Diana has been self-sufficient, but she still cherishes the friendship of Jane and Jean, who continue to visit her as friends.

We discussed with other leaders the initiatives their schools were taking to work towards social justice. We gained new insights to innovative ideas that we could implement in the Kilbreda Community. We also inspired others with our initiatives to take action in their school communities. We finished the seminar with ‘The Justice Tree’. The beautifully decorated tree provided us with a visual representation of what we were already doing to provide social justice and filled our hearts with inspiration to continue raising the voices of the disregarded. 

Over the course of the two days, we got to know so many lovely students from the other schools. We engaged in ice-breaker activities, ate together in the immaculate landscape and played the grand piano whilst singing with each other in the dining hall. The friendships made with these students are truly unforgettable and we look forward to seeing them next year.

With so many new ideas, we are thrilled to share our insights with others to further promote social justice as a school community. We would like to thank Ms Delahunty for accompanying us on this trip and all of the other teachers involved in this seminar immensely for their ongoing enthusiasm and contribution to our leadership journey.

Grace Robins
Year 11