Student Social Justice Seminars 2025
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- Date & Time
17-18 March - Social Justice Seminar 12-14 May - First Nations Immersion 29-30 July - Network Zero Forum 2-4 December - Senior Leadership Retreat Location Seminar 1: Edmund Rice Centre, 7 Amberley Way, Lower Plenty, Vic. Seminar 2: Brisbane 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 students suitable from Yrs 8 - 11 Seminar 2: 6-8 x social justice participants, suitable for Yrs 9-10 Seminar 3: Net Zero- 2 x social justice, especially ecological justice participants & student leaders, suitable for Yrs 10 and 11. Seminar 4: 2 x Year 12 Leaders for 2026 (May vary for different student leadership structures) Facilitators KM Mission Leader - Jane Collopy Cost Seminar 1: TBD Seminar 2: $300 per student Registration To register your students for Seminar 1: Please click here. |
Aims
Content Seminar 1: The Kildare Ministries Living Justice Living Peace Seminar is a two-day conference aimed at senior students active and interested in social justice and mission, providing the opportunity to learn more about contemporary issues of social justice and our mission to work for a more just world. Students will learn from guest speakers and join workshops to learn strategies for advocacy and activism for the coming year. Seminar 2: The Kildare Ministries First Nations Immersion, taking place in Brisbane this year, is an immersion for middle school students in First Nations culture, spirituality & justice. Students, by taking part in walks on country lead by experienced first nations rangers, participating in forums with first nations speakers and creating artworks, will experience a deepening understanding of reconciliation and Australian history. Seminar 3: The third seminar is an opportunity specifically for senior students with demonstrated commitment and leadership skills (Year 10 and 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 2025. Seminar 4: The final seminar is for students elected to senior leadership positions to help prepare them for their role as school leaders in faith and justice. Please click here for more information. |
Some previous photos and feedback
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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 |
