Justice
Thinking beyond ourselves this Lenten Season
Project compassion Launch
As mentioned in the last newsletter, on Tuesday 13 February Academy hosted the Caritas Project Compassion Launch. The event welcomed teachers and students from many primary and secondary schools around Melbourne as well as a number of key guests. We were privileged that Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Reverend Peter Comensoli could join us.
Students from the Justice Group, including our Co-Captains, Harriet and Hannah participated in the event in a variety of ways. They ushered special guests, participated in readings during the mass and were wonderful ambassadors for the College mingling and welcoming students from other schools. The College musical groups AMICCI and Isabella Strings also showcased their talents.
As a part of the Launch, the Justice Group was asked to produce and share a short video that outlined the Academy's commitment to Project Compassion and social justice. The inspiring video was also shared with our student body to launch our fundraising efforts for Project Compassion this term.
Congratulations and thanks to all involved in this wonderful event.
Project Compassion Fundraising Efforts
On February 13, the Academy community also celebrated Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season where the Catholic community makes prayer, fasting and almsgiving to those in need.
Each year at the Academy we celebrate Lent by giving to Project Compassion. To kick off our fundraising efforts the Justice Group hosted a pancake stall. Members of the Justice group prepared, cooked, and served over 200 pancakes at lunch. The group had a wonderful time, and the vibe was high in the kitchen. In total the group raised $306!
Two days later on February 15 the Student Leadership Team held a bake sale and raised another $350! Well done to all involved!
Mentor groups are signing up to run a range of activities and stalls to continue our fundraising efforts, some of these include:
29 February - 10 Silver will host a Choc Toss
8 March - 8 Red will host a Bake Sale
12 March - 10 Purple will host a Bake Sale
14 March - 11 Green will host a Fairy bread sale
15 March - 9 MacKillop will host an Icy Pole sale
To hear a story of one of the people that project compassion has helped, go to the link
World Social Justice Day
On February 20, the College acknowledged World Social Justice Day. World Social Justice Day is a global observation aimed at promoting efforts to tackle issues such as poverty exclusion, unemployment and for fostering solidarity in pursuit of social development and justice within and among nations.
Academy recognised this significant day by asking students to reflect on what social justice means to them and write their ideas. These were then posted on the bulletin board in the undercroft.
YLM Student Leader formation
Last week on February 22 & 23, Young Mercy Links held their first Student Leadership Formation. Our Justice Co-Captains, Harriet & Hannah attended along with senior Justice Group member, Hava.
Over the two-day formation our leaders along with leaders from a range of other Mercy Secondary schools from across Victoria gathered to explore the unique qualities of ‘Mercy’ Leadership. They participated in workshops to identify their talents and what they bring to the table as a leader.
They explored how leading in a Mercy school was different to just being a leader. Students learned about and reflected on the 5 pillars of Mercy leadership and how they would incorporate them into their own leadership. As a team the girls developed action plans for each term. They collaborated, inspired and discovered new ways to embed Mercy in action with our school.
They listened to other student leaders and heard what they do in their schools and shared the amazing things they do here at Academy. Members of Young Mercy Links shared inspirational stories and how they live their Mercy values after high school. They spoke of their recent immersion to Cambodia and how they have helped struggling communities there.
I have achieved a new, individual understanding of Mercy, and look forward to implementing this perspective into my leadership through more education-based approaches to social Justice.
Harriet
I believe the best part of the program was working to clarify our plans for this year, as we got to talk about upcoming events and how we can involve the whole Academy community. Something I want to expand in our school community is a sense of unity.
Hava
Through the Mercy Links program, which was an immensely enlightening experience, I developed a reflective perspective of what it means to be a leader and how to develop my approach to leadership. This helped me maintain benevolence and compassion in my work as an Academy leader by enabling me to recognise complex aspects of mercy in my day-to-day life.
Hannah
We would like to thank Angela Scarafilo, Sr.Margaret Moore and the Young Mercy Links teams for hosting such an empowering event.
For more information about Young Mercy Links, please visit their website
Leap year - A blessing and a burden
As you would be aware the 29 February, is an extra day in our lives due to this year being a leap year. As such we invited students to take a moment on Thursday morning to listen to a short audio recording over the PA and think beyond themselves. The recording was an interview with Krissy Francis, the 2023 College Dux. Krissy was chosen to be interviewed following her address to the College in the opening school assembly where she spoke about the opportunities she was provided at Academy and how her time here juxtaposed her travels to India following her final exam. She reflected on how not everyone is as blessed as we are, and how an extra day for others can be a burden. Academy students were asked to contemplate how this additional day for some people means an extra day of hunger, an extra day of fear, an extra day of thirst, an extra day of war. They were asked to consider how the day is both a blessing and a burden.
March for Women
Next week as a part of the Women’s Wellbeing Week the Justice Group has partnered with the PE department to host a March for Women. This is linked to a Caritas story of Leaia from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.
Leaia lives with her five children, husband, brother, and sister-in-law on the island of Upolu in Samoa. Not having access to clean water for their daily lives has caused Leaia a lot of worry. Leaia’s family built the home entirely out of recycled scraps collected from a nearby recycling plant, so as not to waste precious income and provide for her children.
Their home is not connected to a piped water system, so they used to rely solely on rainwater collected in old fridges. When their water ran out, she had to walk with her young children to collect water in buckets and containers from a neighbour down the street. To hear Leaia’s story please go to the Caritas website
In many countries around the world, the walk for water can be long. Some families don’t have taps in their houses, or even in their villages. They must walk up to 10 km each day just to find water. Often, the people doing the walking are children, and their education suffers as a result.
On Wednesday 6 March by donating, wearing casual clothes, walking for women and carrying a bucket of water, students will show solidarity with those who walk like this daily. Students will ‘walk in their shoes’, just for a short while.
But, even more importantly, you’ll be helping to raise money to improve access to clean drinking water for vulnerable families around the world. Each mentor group will carry a bucket of water (shared amongst the students) for the duration of the ‘March for Women’ to show solidarity with women across the world.