101 doves symbolise peace

On 12 November 2019,  Milos Vidic, Chiara Miceli, Brandon Nguyen, Thomas Sao and Josephine Zucco of Year 9 attended the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize event at Cabramatta High School. The event was a showcase of achievements from students and past and present winners of the Peace prize. This year''s major focus was the #METOO Movement.

On arrival we were greeted,  given a gift bag and were ushered to our seats in the school hall with many students from other local high schools, members of local council and clubs. This was followed by an opening speech from Cabramatta High School’s principal  and school captains.

The event started once the official party entered with a display of cultural diversity led by Cabramatta’s Lion Dancing group and students representing different cultures of peace. After a welcome to country delivered by one of the local elders (Aunty Mae),  the founders of the #METOO movement were introduced to the audience, they were Tarana Burke (from New York) and Tracy Spicer.  They spoke about their stories of hardship and the experiences they have had with harassment, overcoming these and their motives to form the movement. They also were interviewed by the Student Representative Council and responded to some very good questions from students in the audience.

The event then moved outside to the Peace Garden where we were entertained by an excellent drumming performance led by students and Evan Yako,  a refugee who  used drumming to deal with the trauma he experienced as a result of the war and conflict in his country.  Evan arrived in Australia when he was a young boy.

The school showcased the community’s diversity through a video competition (won by two Year 7 girls) musical performances and artworks. Tarana Burke made a very moving speech about speaking up and feeling empowered which got everyone in the crowd involved. The presentation concluded with a dove release, including 101 doves to symbolise peace and was followed by a guided meditation session by a former teacher. Thomas Sao accepted  a wattle tree on behalf of Cecil Hills High School, known for their healing qualities, which we have planted here at school as a sign of peace.

This day was unforgettable.  We enjoyed the presentations of peace from our local community and schools whilst learning about the #METOO Movement foundation from Tracey Spicer and Tarana Burke. We learnt various ways we can contribute to our own community and help victims who have experienced domestic violence and sexual harassment.

Milos Vidic, Chiara Miceli, Brandon Nguyen, Thomas Sao and Josephine Zucco

Year 9 students