From the Chaplains
Last week on Thursday 6 May, I had the privilege of accompanying some Year 11 students to a workshop led by Rev Simon Hansford, the Moderator of the UCA Synod of NSW and ACT. The students who attended were Arshia Bhardwaj, Kyana Cvetkovic, Isharah Hewavitharana, Angelica Tan and Tahmara Thomas.
Here is the article written by Arshia and Ishara:
The leadership workshop hosted by the Uniting Church and guided by the Moderator was an insightful experience. As students, we were able to discuss prevalent issues with fellow student leaders of other Uniting Church schools. The conversations surrounded the topics of consent, mental health and the environment – all of which were voted as the three most salient issues of our generation.
Mental Health
As a member of the mental health group, I collaborated with a number of leaders from Knox, MLC and Kinross Wolaroi to identify the primary issues revolving around mental health, how they arise and responses that we could integrate into the schooling system to ensure positive wellbeing. Being able to speak openly about mental health and ways in which we could comfortably address it with the rest of our peers was an exceptionally rewarding process for me. We shared how each of our schools responded to mental health issues and collated the feedback to produce the best responses to implement at the College. For example, Knox and Ravenswood are working together to create student-led workshops where they explore issues that young adults face – including mental health. The ideas introduced by other student leaders were refreshing and it was so gratifying to see how various other schools approach such issues and the similarities or differences between them. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and am earnestly anticipating the next one.
Environment
As part of the environment discussion, we focused on looking at how we can engage students in doing their part for the environment and breaking down the topic that was highly promulgated but lacked action. We discussed current initiatives implemented at other schools and it was interesting to gain insight into what was working and what wasn’t. For example, at Ravenswood they have meat-free Monday and ballot bins to encourage sustainability amongst students. With like-minded students we worked together to create similar environmentally-friendly projects to create a more conscious environment for both the College and beyond.
Consent
Following the widely publicised issue of sexual assault and consent in our country, we focused on the much-needed reform in Australian schools. This discussion was both highly relevant and incredibly necessary, as consent and positive relationships are integral to all areas of life. By conversing with a variety of perspectives from a multitude of areas, races and genders, we were able to make meaningful progress. It certainly gives me hope that we can – one day – make the world a more loving and harmonious place to live in.
Reverend Punam Bent