Justice
Justice in Action!
Term four began with a number of Justice students going on an excursion to The Salvation Army for a youth homelessness city tour. The excursion began in the classroom at 69 Bourke Street. I am sure many of you have walked past this location and never noticed what the building housed. This is the home to The Salvation Army’s Project614 and Magpie Nest Cafe which supports and works with people who are experiencing homelessness, are at risk of becoming homeless and people in social poverty. It provides programs to assist people in creating a pathway out of their current circumstances. It also has a cafe that is sponsored by the Collingwood football team called Magpie Nest Cafe.
The Justice students began their excursion in a classroom where they learned about The Salvation Army, what they do, and their commitment to inclusion. The Salvation Army is the number 1 provider for homeless support in Australia. Students explored how and why people become homeless and broke down stereotypes of homeless people through group activities.
Following their time in the classroom, they went on a walking tour in the city, heard stories of homeless experiences and learned about Hostile Architecture. Hostile architecture is an urban-design strategy that uses elements of the built environment to purposefully guide or restrict behavior. It often targets people who are homeless, by making park benches and sheltered areas uncomfortable to use and sleep in. This can include handrails on park benches, metal pieces on flat surfaces and spikes in sheltered areas.
Harriet Berman of Year 11, a Justice student, said that
“We all found this experience to be incredibly eye opening for some of the unknown statistics, and internalized prejudices that many of us may have held. I encourage you to consider the privilege of having a safe place to stay, and the 30,660 Victorians that do not, every night.”
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Farewell & Welcome
At the final Year 12 assembly we farewelled our 2023 Captain Akos Brobbey- Awuah. The Justice Group and Leaders would like to thank Akos for her leadership, inspirational personality and contributions to Justice this year. We wish Akos well with her exam and life beyond Academy.
With that being said, we would like to congratulate our 2024 Justice Co-Captains, Harriet Berman and Hannah Cullen. The Justice group is excited to be led by you in 2024.
Connecting Communities
Incursion with Sacred Heart Primary School
This week Justice group hosted the grade 4 students from Sacred Heart Primary School. Together with Justice students they had the opportunity to use the Food Technology facilities at Academy and bake Afghanistan cookies. Through this activity students explored cultural inclusion and what food means to the Afghan people. The recipe was one that we received from an Afghan refugee that Justice students cooked with earlier in the year. The grade 4s also made a bag from an old T-Shirt and explored the idea of repurposing and environmental sustainability.
Save the Date
1 December 2023
The FIRE Carriers will host a Christmas Market Stall at St Margaret Mary’s School Christmas Market in Brunswick North. More information to come.
If anyone in our community would like to donate some craft items that they make for the FIRE Carriers to sell, we would be greatly appreciative. Donations can be left at the school reception. All funds will go to the Opening The Doors Foundation to directly support the education costs for a First Nations Student.
For more information
Ms Melinda Sachanandani
Justice