time for change

Year 9 Social Change Project

Oki Gardner

Head of Learning - Humanities

The Year 9 Social Change Project is an exciting topic within the Humanities curriculum.

This projects challenges students to identify a social problem that is important to them and then to develop an argument and appeal for change to present to an audience.

As expected, students are required to research their topic and to present valid data and evidence to support their call to action. When students made their presentations, it was exciting to see so many voice their passionate views and ideas for social change - most especially around issues that directly affect their immediate communities.

These students are knowledgeable on their topics and committed to having their voices heard - a most positive sign for the future!

Homelessness is a social issue that has significant impacts on individuals, their families and communities.

Zachary Thomas & Zoe Marsili

Year 9

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were over 24,000 homeless people in Victoria in 2016, about 20% of Australia’s homeless population. While most of us associate homelessness with rough sleepers, these individuals make up only 7% of all homeless people.

Homelessness is much more than not having a roof over your head.

Many people who are homeless are families with children who are in inadequate housing. A big concern for our community is homelessness among young people (under the age of 25 years old) who make up about 40% of homeless people. There are lots of causes of homelessness, including poverty, family violence, problem gambling, chronic health issues and housing that is not affordable for people.

So, what is our

campaign about?

We wanted to raise awareness about this issue and to inform people about what homeless individuals experience on a daily basis. We wanted to show that homelessness is much more than rough sleepers. We designed a video which used statistics and emotive appeals to compel people to take action on homelessness and asked people to think about how theycould help to address homelessness in their communities.