Student Wellbeing News

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Throughout time many people had quoted or referred to this proverb as a message that reflects social justice, equality and equity and a signal of empowerment for marginalised groups. This can be evident in times of natural disasters or within the humanitarian aid sector, to ensure long-lasting sustainable impact on communities. Through education and skill development individuals and communities are empowered and encouraged to increase independence, become more resilient and bring about change in their community.

The term has only begun however it is already proving to be very busy. During this time, I had the pleasure to be involved in 2 very different workshops but with the same goal; to educate and empower our students. Such programs are important and reflect the ethos of developing the mind, body and the spirit. If we wish to make the world a better place, we need to empower our young people and give them the tools and strategies to bring about change because the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.

Recently 6 Year 10 students from MCC were invited by Soroptimist International to attend a community engagement activity in Griffith “Where we stand; the girl child” to familiarise themselves with the work of the organisation internationally and have a better understanding of how social justice works and change can be implemented. Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls. Their network of just under 65,000 club members in 118 countries works at a local, national and international level to educate, empower and enable 

opportunities for women and girls. Our MCC students joined peers from other local Griffith high schools and participated in a motivational workshop facilitated by “Burn Bright” who specialise in leadership and wellbeing programs for youth. Student, Anna Ooi has kindly provided us with her perspective on the activity and we will have further updates in the coming weeks from this group of inspiring young women as the project that they are designing moves into the next stage.  

“Last week, we had the privilege to participate in the Enable Workshop, hosted by Burn Bright facilitators Maddie and Alice. This empowering event focused on developing leadership within young women and fostering connections with peers from Griffith High School and Murrumbidgee High School.

The day began with group discussions, where we openly shared our thoughts on the positive and negative aspects of being a young individual in today’s society, especially from the perspective of young women. It was insightful to hear the diverse range of experiences and barriers that young women face, including managing the pressures of social media and overcoming stereotypes that limit our potential.

Maddie and Alice, our facilitators, shared inspiring anecdotes that resonated with many of us, demonstrating their passion for leadership and their belief in the power of young women to drive change. Their stories also connected deeply to the workshop’s purpose—encouraging us to step into leadership roles and support one another in the process. The connections we made were invaluable in helping us realise the strength in unity and shared experience.

Throughout the workshop, we engaged in numerous activities that enabled us to build trust, work collaboratively and communicate openly. The final activity was particularly impactful. We divided into school-specific groups to brainstorm potential policies and initiatives that we could introduce within our respective school communities. Our focus was on creating lasting change that would positively benefit the young women at Marian Catholic College. Moving forward, we will be working on finalising our proposal and presenting it to our Assistant Principal Mrs. Segrave and our Principal Dr.  Ludicke.” 

Anna Ooi Yr 10

This week with thanks to CareSouth Griffith, 14 students from a range of year groups were invited to take part in the “The Deadly Thinking Youth” workshop. Covering a wide range of subjects including~ yarning, worries, our thoughts (self-harm and suicide), staying safe (substance abuse) and staying strong, the program is nationally recognised and delivered by Aboriginal and Torres strait islander facilitators sharing their own stories and vast experience of working in the mental health sector. On completion of the workshop all 

students received a certificate and now have a better understanding of resources and services that are available to them in community, how and where to access assistance if needed, but more importantly they have the knowledge to share that information with others. 

Both activities would not have been possible without the support of both Soroptimist International Griffith and CareSouth and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in quality workshops. We look forward to continuing developing partnerships with other service providers so that our students have opportunities to develop skills that are beneficial for not only our students but also the wider community. 

All the students involved enjoyed the opportunity to participate and are to be congratulated for their commitment and motivation. They were great ambassadors for not only their school but also for their families and communities. 

Sue Hone 

(Student Support Wellbeing Officer)