The Year 7 students have been learning about social justice and what it means to live with dignity. They reflected on their discoveries and have written about their new learnings.

What is Social Justice?

Justice is the concept of fairness. Social justice is fairness as it manifests in society. In a socially-just society, human rights are respected and discrimination is not allowed to flourish thus it is the concept of a society in which every human being is treated justly, without discrimination based on financial status, race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Social justice emphasises fairness and equitable division of opportunities, privileges and resources in society. Gender inequality, racism, and human rights are frequent subjects of social justice advocacy. In order for social justice to become a reality, four pillars must be erected: human rights, free access, participation, and equity. Social justice can’t be achieved without these four principles. Social justice endeavors to have everyone’s human rights respected, protected, and promoted yet it doesn’t guarantee a perfect society where everyone is always happy; however, everyone will have a fighting chance at the life they want. For as long as a nation values social justice and remains committed to its principles, true progress is possible.

What topics have been covered?

Some particular topics that have been discussed on this issue are human rights, and what rights / responsibilities we have. We listened to two stories about people who went through unjust situations. Then we made a poster about a country where social justice is not obeyed.

Human rights is a serious topic and everyone should have these basic rights. In Australia we have the right to an education, the right to have parents that look after us, the right to safety and protection from wars. Though, in some countries, that is not the case. We watched a video on Click View about girls who have gone through trafficking, slavery etc. So many people across the world go through these issues and it can happen in any country. That is why we worked in groups to create a poster of awareness. For example, my partner and I chose Japan. We provided information on their human rights and some stories about Japan and their lack of social justice.

Year 7 student photo segment and review of Dollar Street activity – Mia

What are your thoughts about the standards of living you have researched?

Based on the countries that I have researched, I’ve discovered that there is a marginal difference in wealth distribution across the globe. France, in comparison to Somalia, has more than 400 times the amount of monthly income, and seeing the photos, the difference in wealth is extremely obvious. The French couple had a lot of expensive-looking possessions, and their home had a contemporary aesthetic in keeping with the quantity and high value of these items.

The results of the middle-class family in Indonesia were lower than I would have originally thought, which therefore gives a better view of where we would picture ourselves on Dollar Street. Their income, although much greater than that of Somalia’s, was still very distant to the monthly wages of the French family.

In Somalia, there is no electricity or electric powered appliances. The rug, shoes and books look second hand and they look as though they could easily fall apart. As for the house, it is merely a shelter made of clothes held together by string and sticks. The monthly income of this Somali family is a meagre amount of $35 dollars, which gives a clear explanation to the appearance of these photographs.

Seeing these pictures from families across the world and comparing them to one another has sparked some realisation of how we would underestimate our wealth, resulting in the discovery that we are actually so much higher on Dollar Street than expected.

Social Justice

7 NAGLE

We have learnt about the different types of social justice issues worldwide. Everyone has different experiences and these experiences help us to understand how the world works.

The topic of social justice has taught us to see the difference between rights and privileges. We have so many opportunities and things that we take for granted, like having a phone or going to school. We take these things for granted because we might use a phone irresponsibly to the point that it has broken the responsibility of the privilege. Learning about this topic has enhanced the way we react and respond to certain things, like finding money on the ground and donating it to a person in need. Altogether, I know that I've learnt the true meaning of justice.

Seanna 7 Nagle

This term we learnt about social justice and how important it is to be fair especially in society nowadays. I learned that social justice is the equal right to have privileges, wealth and different opportunities in society. Some people are stripped from freedom, gaining their own rights and having the opportunity to have their opinions. It makes me grateful that I grew up in a family where I’m healthy and living in a good condition with fresh food. It also teaches me to be more appreciative for the rights and good health I have.

Michelle 7 Nagle

This term we have gained the knowledge of various global social justice concerns. It has taught us that each person has a unique experience that helps us learn how the world works. Learning about social justice this term has taught us to stand up for ourselves, the meaning of justice, to be appreciative of what we have, to be responsible and to take opportunities that other children might not have.

Cheska 7 Nagle

Learning about social justice has shown us right from wrong. We have been able to learn how people are getting treated. Some are not treated well for no good reason. This topic has changed the way I think. It has made me realise that innocent people in the world are being punished for no reason. This makes me feel angry and disappointed that human beings are treating their own kind like they are a different kind of species.

Oksana 7 Nagle

This term, we have gained knowledge of various global social justice concerns. Each person has unique experiences that help us comprehend how the world functions. Learning about this topic has helped us stand up for ourselves and become stronger people.

Shura 7 Nagle

This term, we have been learning about social justice which has taught us about global issues. It has also taught us about children's’ rights, human rights, privileges and responsibilities. Social justice teaches us how important it is to see everyone as equal. We learnt how some people's opportunities of having a ‘normal’ life are taken away from them. It has made us realise all the things we take for granted such as education,good health and even a warm place to sleep. Learning about social justice has taught us to stand up for ourselves and for what is right.

Mikayla 7 Nagle

During this term, we have dived into and learnt about social justice, social justice issues and many factors in and around this. We have focused more closely on social justice issues like poverty and homelessness and how much they affect our society. Learning about this topic has taught us to stand up for ourselves and others, in regards to discrimination and unfairness in most situations.

Leikny 7 Nagle

This term, we have focused on the topic Social Justice Issues. We learnt about many problems occurring in the world, such as the income gap, racism and homelessness which are only a small number of many examples. There are a countless amount of people in the world suffering because of the lack of basic resources and necessities to stay clean and healthy. They do not have access to fresh water or even a small home to stay warm and sleep in. By focusing on these issues it made us understand how lucky and privileged we are to have the money for things that we want and not just need.

Kritika 7 Nagle

This term, we have been delving into the topic of social justice and have been discussing issues and learning about the experiences of many people who have faced these problems in their lives. We have learnt about rights, privileges and responsibilities, and how they are present in our lifestyle. Throughout the duration of this topic, we have learnt about the many simple luxuries of life that we take for granted, and how they seem priceless to some people around the world. This has made us think about our lives in more detail, and each and every single aspect that makes us privileged. This topic has also made us think about how we must face and approach these issues as we come to know and understand them.

Danica 7 Nagle

This term we have learnt a lot about social justice, for example: what social justice is and different types of justice. We compared our houses to other people in poverty and we saw how that could impact us. We also saw what some differences there are and similarities. I think it is very important to learn about social justice because it could really help us because there could be some stuff we don't know that is happening to us, but this shows you different social justice issues and what they are. Now we are working on an assignment where we had to pick a different type of social justice issue and make a piece of artwork related to it. Now I am grateful for all the things that I have because some people don't have any.

Angela 7 Nagle

7 IRELAND

This term in Religious Education we have learnt about lots of different issues and tough situations in the world and part of this was looking at other peoples’ living conditions. I’ve never really paid attention to any of this stuff until now because I wasn’t so aware of these difficulties and issues before. Learning about this has made me realise how hard life is for so many people. We don't always appreciate simple little things we have and to us they may be nothing, but to someone else they could be everything. This has shown me that we are so lucky and blessed to have such an amazing life.

Kiran 7 Ireland

I had heard about how social justice issues make a huge impact on our modern day society, but I had never paid much attention to this situation and never knew too much about it, but during the last few weeks of the term I have learnt so much about social justice issues. This topic has made me realise how much I take things for granted. How some children are swept away from education and things which are totally normal for us. Although learning about this makes me sorrowful for those who are going through this, it also makes me realise what is happening in our society and the people who are involved in it.

Jasmine 7 Ireland

This term in Religious Education we have learnt about various issues that have opened my eyes to the bigger problems that I have never paid attention to or ignored. It also made me feel grateful for what I have after seeing how people live, what they have and their everyday problems. As for education, sometimes I really hate the homework and assignments that I have to do but the children all around the world that don’t have education wish they could do the work we loathe. It showed me and probably everyone else how privileged we are and how much we take for granted.

Lola 7 Ireland

In Religious Education this term we have been learning about the broad topic of Social Justice. We have learnt about the places and people that aren’t as lucky as us. We all know the basics about social justice but when you really dig deep you understand how lucky you are to have the things you have. A task that really made me realise how lucky I am was the Dollar Street task because there are so many families who don’t have basic needs, such as a door to their bathroom or a blanket for their bed. Social justice is a big issue and we need to fix that.

Bridget 7 Ireland

AFRICA CHILDREN HUMAN RIGHTS!!

● RIGHTS to be Healthy

● RIGHTS to be Educated

● RIGHTS to have a Family

● RIGHTS to have a Normal Life

● RIGHTS to have Fun

● RIGHTS to Play with other Children

● RIGHTS to be loved

CHILDRENs’ RIGHTS

They are struggling to survive and they have a low chance of young people being the future for their culture. Children's rights include the right to health, education, family life, play and recreation, a good standard of living and to be protected from harm and abuse.

Kids in Africa are there because they have a role to keep their country and people alive, live there and keep their memories alive before they have kids and die. The kids in South Africa have been violated by emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. 72.1 million children are forced to work everyday because the older people are too weak and are sick. All African children have the right to vote in everything because they are the future generation and are going to be running the place when their fathers and mothers pass. They have the right to be protected from all the bad things around them.

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