Issue 11 SJC News 2020

Last week we celebrated Refugee Week at St Joseph’s College. Although COVID-19 restricted us with what we initially wanted to achieve, I feel that we still managed to educate our students and staff with a deeply moving Solidarity Circle, heartwarming R.E. sessions and an extremely important advocacy letter writing session. We are blessed with such a dedicated, empathetic, motivated and passionate Identity Team here at St Joseph’s. I would like to thank Mary Malone, Belinda Milverton and Leah Irving especially for their tireless efforts to put together an amazing week.

The theme of Refugee Week 2020 was ‘Celebrating the Year of Welcome’.

The Solidarity Circle was an opportunity for all student leaders to participate in an emotional gathering to show support for refugees in our community and people seeking asylum. We gathered not only to educate but to uphold our values of compassion and integrity just as Edmund Rice would have done. We showed appreciation for being able to call Australia home whilst recognizing that there are so many people who face extreme injustices in Australia’s immigration and detention system.

We offered a lunchtime activity of advocacy letter writing and petition signing for all of our students and staff. The campaign is called, ‘No Child Left Behind’. In recognition of Refugee Week our St Joseph’s students were encouraged to learn more about the hardships COVID-19 is causing asylum seeking families in Australia. There are currently around 16,000 children in families seeking protection in Australia. Many people seeking asylum have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19, as they often work in the service sectors worst affected. People seeking asylum are not eligible for the JobSeeker or JobKeeper payments, like many other workers. They have been left with nothing. It will be hard for them to re-enter the workforce, especially in the current economy.

As a school community, we are committed to justice and peace for all and together the actions of our hands, hearts and our voices in solidarity, bring peace in our world.