Student Social Justice Seminars 2023
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Date & Time 23 - 24 March 2023 23 May 2023 24-25 July 2023 4-6 December 2023 Location Seminar 1: Edmund Rice Centre, 7 Amberley Way, Lower Plenty, Vic Seminar 2: St. Joseph's College, Echuca, Vic Seminar 3: Edmund Rice Centre, 7 Amberley Way, Lower Plenty, Vic. Seminar 4: Saltbush, 122 Balnarring Beach Rd, Balnarring VIC Intended Participants Seminar 1: 6 x social justice leaders, suitable for Yrs 10-12 Seminar 2: 6-8 x social justice participants, suitable for Yrs 8-10 Seminar 3: Net Zero- 2 x social justice, especially ecological justice participants, suitable for Yr 11 Seminar 4: 2 x Year 12 Leaders for 2024 (May vary for different student leadership structures) Facilitators Renee Oberin Cost Seminar 1: $200 per participant for overnight stay at Amberley Seminar 2: $200 per participant |
Aims
The first seminar is a two-day conference aimed at Social Justice Leaders, providing the opportunity to learn more about contemporary issues of social justice and the call to Christian disciples to work for a more just world. Students will learn from guest speakers and workshop among themselves to plan activities for the coming year. The second seminar is timed to learn more about Indigenous issues in the lead-up to National Reconciliation Week and National Sorry Day. Students will be encouraged to plan for Reconciliation Week in late May. The third seminar is an opportunity specifically for senior students with demonstrated commitment and leadership skills (Year 11) in the Ecological Justice space. Students who commit to this program must complete a full year as a member of the student-driven KM Net Zero Committee. The work of the committee commences at this event in July and continues until the end of term two in 2024. The final seminar is for student elected to senior leadership positions to help prepare them for their role as school leaders in faith and justice. |
Some photos and feedback from 2023
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On the 23-24 of March, the year 10 and 11 Living Justice leaders attended the Educating for Social Justice Seminar at the Edmund Rice Centre in Lower Plenty, Melbourne. We were one of six schools across Australia to attend the overnight seminar run by the amazing Renee Oberin from Kildare Ministries. The seminar was an incredibly inspiring and educational experience with activities and guest speakers that encouraged us to grow our passion for social justice. Judy Ryan came to share her experiences with how she was able to open the second injecting room in Australia after she saw the hundreds of people overdosing in her street. She encouraged us to be brave and determined when we see injustices in the world. Thenu Herath inspired us all with her story of her upbringing and how she went from a schoolgirl with a passion to the CEO of Oaktree, a youth-run, international development organisation. Oaktree assists developing countries and people in need, with the aim to help achieve the sustainability goals and create a more just world. Finally Michael McGirr from Caritas Australia talked to us about the wonderful work that Caritas does and also about the opportunities we have as young women to go into industries where we can make a difference. As a school we shared and got everyone involved with the Justice Tree, which was a way for all the schools to share what they’ve been doing to promote social justice and explore the things they want to achieve in the future. This also helped us develop new ideas and aspirations for Clonard as well. Some of those possibilities include; holding a sleep out to raise awareness for the homeless, organising a coat drive in the colder months, joining Oaktree’s Live Below the Line challenge to raise awareness and money for extreme poverty, and many more ideas. The activities and learning that we achieved over the two days, left us with a lifetime of knowledge that we will carry with us through our pathways, all thanks to Michael McCallum, Bridget Taylor and the rest of the staff from Clonard, Kildare Ministries and other schools that were able to make the seminar happen. Livinia Stokes - Clonard College Student |
