Pope Francis had once said “Above all, let us not forget to thank: if we are bearers of gratitude, the world itself will become better, even if only little bit, but that is enough to transmit a bit of hope. The world needs hope. And with gratitude, with this habit of saying thank you, we transmit a bit of hope”

Recently the Wellbeing Team held their first activity for the year acknowledging and promoting “Random Acts of Kindness Day”. Celebrated on February 17 the students invited and encouraged others; students and staff alike, to spread kindness through simple, unexpected gestures. A smile, an act of courtesy, a kind word, or a simple thankyou can be the significant turning point for many.

The feedback from the group was positive and it is hoped that there will be future activities building on the concept of kindness, friendship and positive relationships throughout the year.

In the coming week team members are to be presented with their official badges and this is a reminder that the MCC community value their work that is being done within not only our school community, but their efforts can contribute to a bigger picture and be the catalyst for change within our world.

At this week’s meeting we had the opportunity to meet a special guest Max Jones, who has recently commenced his role with headspace Griffith working as the “Community Engagement Co-ordinator”. Max is a Griffith local and spoke about his new role. Max will work with us periodically throughout the year and will join us in some initiatives, workshops and be the link between our group and headspace Griffith.

Max also spoke about the YRG (Youth Reference Group) which is a volunteer group of youth from the local area who work alongside headspace staff on relevant campaigns, activities and opportunities for young people ensuring a person centred approach to matters that directly impact on their wellbeing within our local area.

The latter part of the meeting was the opportunity to discuss future activities and identify a common theme for the year. We shared stories and identified people locally, nationally and internationally that encountered obstacles or events in their life, yet they had the strength, physically, emotionally and spiritually to overcome hardship, and in some circumstances survive against significant odds. We recognised this as resilience, and it was unanimously agreed that this would be our theme for the year.

We will create space within our meetings for members to have the opportunity to discuss people who they feel have demonstrated resilience and add their name to our display in the library foyer so that their stories can be shared and encourage others that nothing is impossible. The first 2 people we will include are of similar age to our team members.

The majority of the team were familiar with a young woman who was the subject of a film “He Named Me Malala (2015)”. Malala Yousafzai was a 15 year old who was shot by the Taliban for advocating for girls' education. Malala was a young person with a great vision and believed that "One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world". She became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2014 at age 17, awarded for the struggle against the suppression of children and for the right of all children to education. Her legacy is ongoing and as the founder of the Malala Fund, she has driven international policy changes, advocated for 12 years of free education, and empowered millions of girls to pursue learning.

More recently, as a nation we heard the most amazing story of Austin Appelbee, 13, who was hailed a hero for swimming 4km for over four hours, then running 2km to secure rescue for his family from the ocean off WA earlier this year after currents had taken them offshore.

After their kayak took on water, Austin swam without a life jacket to shore, leading to a successful rescue of his mother and two siblings found 14km offshore. What motivate Austin was his love for his family and his self-belief that “Today was not the day” when his, and the lives of his family would end. Ironically, Austin had failed to achieve competency at his vacation water safety program just 3 weeks earlier, but when it was needed, Austin remarkably had the resilience and sense of bravery to achieve something truly miraculous.

The meeting was concluded with me sharing an analogy between yellow rubber ducks and resilience. This proved extremely popular and many members left excited how we can share this concept with our MCC community. The analogy is simple. Life is a journey, a river that has obstacles and at times can be overwhelming or difficult to navigate due to external or complex obstacles, more often than not out of our control. The duck symbolises the journey and never gives up …..regardless how hard life is because it can never go backwards, just keeps swimming and moving forward. It is the duck’s journey which symbolises reliance in its simplest form.

SO with that being said, I have a feeling that yellow rubber ducks are going to feature significantly in our 2026 MCC Wellbeing Team initiatives.

Have a wonderful week and as we move into a new month we say goodbye to summer and welcome the new season. I for one, cannot wait for cooler nights and to witness the transformation in nature of all the wonders that autumn brings.

Sue Hone

(School Wellbeing Support Worker)

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