Year 9 City Cite

I loved City Cite and had so much growth. Before City Cite, the city scared me, but now, I would happily go into the city and catch any transport. My favourite memory from City Cite is having lunch with friends and listening to Agum’s story. It was a powerful and moving story about her migration from Sudan. The one thing I am most grateful for is having friends to walk through the city with and not get lost, thanks to Google maps. The most important thing I have learnt is how beautiful Melbourne really is and how lucky I am to live here. I am most proud of being able to catch public transport confidently on my own. I have developed the ability to read a map and catch public transport. Something I learned about myself is how confidence goes a long way in the city and if you have confidence, you will know where to go or at least have the initiative to get somewhere helpful or pull out your Google maps. I would like to say that I am so incredibly proud of myself for how far I have come within the city and out of the city and I have learnt what it’s like to have to go into the city for work every day. 

Lailani Niemann (9.11)

The most important thing I learnt on City Cite, is the idea of perspective. I have been taught that the same thing can mean multiple different things in the eyes of different people and that often there is no clear-cut answer but rather lots of different opinions and meanings. This became evident to me during my investigation of liveability, where some people described Melbourne as an ideal city to live in as they had a stable income and were satisfied with their lifestyle. Whereas other people not doing so well, described how difficult living in Melbourne was, because they couldn’t afford all the things they needed. This made me realise how the situation you are in can impact your outlook and viewpoint on life, because the place two people were living was the same, but the experience was very different. 

Blake Richards (9.12)

City Cite was terrific. That’s the best way to put it. Sure, there were times when I lost interest in an activity or struggled to arrive at places on time and by the end everyone was tired, and our group didn’t always get along perfectly. In the end, we worked through it and overall, it was simply terrific. The travelling was sometimes tedious, but turned out to be a good chance to do a repetitive task, listen to some music, or read a book I’ve been meaning to read. I enjoyed most of the tours and talks, especially the Koori Heritage Trust, Shrine of Remembrance, Big Issue Talk and Stencil Art Workshop. Throughout these activities, it was interesting to learn about the history of the city, and what it’s like for different people in Melbourne. That’s what City Cite was really good for, understanding the city, and the people in it. 

Isaac Armstrong (9.9)

My time at City Cite was amazing! It was full of wonderful experiences and memorable moments that I will never forget. One of my favourite days was when my class went to the Shrine of Remembrance. We were shown around the Shrine by a guide who explained the history of certain aspects of WW1 and WW2, and we saw some cool artefacts that are treasured by Victoria. The view from the balcony of the building was spectacular as well. Another highlight for me was going to the Queen Victoria Market. My friends and I loved walking around the market, looking at the stalls and walking past the street food. City Cite was a really nice time to spend with my friends and enjoy something other than normal school for a change. Year 8s, get ready for next year because you are going to love it!

Hadassah Rickard (9.12)