Year 9

But the angel said to the women, 

‘Do not be afraid; 

I know that you are looking for 

Jesus who was crucified. 

He is not here; for he has been raised, 

as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 

Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 

“He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ 

So they left the tomb quickly with fear 

and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

Matthew 28:5-8

I have always been fascinated by the resurrection. It is of course the most fundamental mystery of our Catholic faith. Without the resurrection, Jesus would have just been a good bloke who spoke with profound wisdom and had a habit of spending time with the last, the lost and the least. Although our faith is full of metaphors, the resurrection is not one of them – it was a profound lived reality for the first Christians and Easter Sunday continues to be the greatest Christian feast day each year.

Oddly, none of the gospels actually explain or in any way describe the resurrection of Jesus. Rather they feature an angel announcing that Jesus has ‘risen from the dead’ or that he is to be found amongst the living and not the dead. It is telling for us as a Brigidine College that seeks to develop young women of Strength and Kindliness that it is women who are given the privilege of passing on the news of the risen Christ. Many people in our church could deserve a reminder that women communicated perhaps the most important news in the history of the world, certainly the most important news in the history of our faith story.

Perhaps a modern example of ‘resurrection’ came last week when the Year 9 students returned to school. The Kildare Centre had been sadly quiet since remote learning began, but since 9 June there has been a new sense of life, manifested by the giggling, laughing and rampant 'Tik Toks' that are so beloved of the Year 9 girls. Life seems to have begun again, and let’s hope wellbeing and learning have come back to life as well. The sense of new life and hope that was part of the original resurrection narrative is alive and well here at the College and long may it flourish!

As the College community and the city of Melbourne return to a newfound sense of normality, some of the activities we had planned for the Year 9 girls have changed their form but not their substance. One of these activities was a leadership formation webinar run by yLead via a shared Zoom link.

On Monday 15 June a group of selected Year 9 girls participated in their student leadership workshop facilitated by yLead, an organisation that works with young people to develop their leadership skills and their sense of how they can make a positive difference to the world around them. The session on Monday was titled AMP'D UP and was tailored specifically to the needs of a Year 9 student. 

AMP'D UP brought the yLead energy and life to a screen in the Auditorium at Kilbreda. The webinar covered what we consider the most important concepts and ideas that young leaders should be talking about right now.

AMP'D UP aimed to skill our Year 9 girls with the confidence and tools to:

• Define a leader’s mindset and teach others to lead too
• Be confident in navigating our ever-changing world
• Discover the new opportunities that leaders have within their school
• Learn the power of what we can control and can’t control

Bill Fitzsimons

Level Leader: Year 9

AMP'D UP by yLead

On Monday 15 June, myself and other Year 9 students, with either leadership roles or leadership potential, had the opportunity to take part in an hour-long educational and beneficial webinar. This was conducted via ZOOM, with 106 schools participating - a first for the yLead Team. 

The room had a great ambiance upon entering, with vibrant and uplifting music being played. Sheets were provided and upon first glance it was clear that the Webinar was not going to be the type which pages upon pages of notes were expected. 

Instead, at one stage it was encouraged that we scrunch up a piece of paper and throw it to the ground forcefully to let out frustration. Many helpful tips for being a leader and being successful were provided, not through much talking, but rather through fun activities where participation was needed. Funnily enough, the first activity was doing a thirty second plank, which connected to the first informational piece. This was the 'circle of concern', the 'circle of influence' and the 'circle of control'. 

At first it was not clear what this meant, however, after a brief, yet informative explanation, no questions were needed. The main outtake from this was:

Tip 1 - "You can’t always control what happens, you can control how you respond.” For instance, I cannot control whether or not I get a leadership role, however, I can get positive feedback and learn for the next time. 

Tip 2 - “Mistakes lead to learning.” Clear examples were provided by one of the yLead team members which involved her learning from her past experiences through team sport. She had been frustrated at a team member when they had made a mistake and regretted her actions afterwards. From this mistake, she learnt to be more calm and encourage rather than put people down. 

Tip 3 - "Courage comes before confidence.” 

This tip was brought to life when all 160 participants were instructed to stand up, begin to complete strange movements such as moving our hands, and then do something we would not normally do in front of others. Many chose to dance, sing or just continue their strange movements. This was a great way to get everyone up and moving, which yLead was very effective at. 

Towards the end, all of us Kilbreda participants wrote three things which we were going to do that were leadership opportunities. Some examples were 'applying for a job', 'holding the door open for someone' or even just saying “Hi” to someone who you wouldn’t usually. The last activity was one in which the participants were on their feet and moving. This was an amazing opportunity which was not only educational but also fun. It provided us with tips which are beneficial for leadership but also for life. 

Let’s hope that the Year 9 leaders have been inspired to continue their wonderful work, and that the entire community of Kilbreda will rise from the despair of isolation into the new life that is flourishing in our midst. 

Bianca Anderson 

Year 9