Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop, said: “People should never see a need and do nothing to help.” She was definitely a woman of her word.
Given the number of children without an education living in rural Australia at the time, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop (as she is now known) helped establish schools and worked with the poor and disenfranchised, teaching them mathematics and how to read.
Her philosophy to help those in need has been adopted by schools across Melbourne.
In fact, giving back to the community has a long history at Melbourne schools which, like St Mary, are inspired by their community and religious beliefs.
Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Stephen Elder says the philosophy behind social justice in schools takes inspiration from the life of Jesus and his work with the poor and marginalised.
“His philosophy was to feed the hungry, love God and love your neighbour – to love everybody ‘as I have loved you’,” Stephen says.
“[The] teaching really centres around what Jesus has inspired us to do.”
He says, in modern times, Pope Francis has continued to inspire the Catholic and wider community, including schools, to be of assistance and “get their hands dirty” helping those in need.
“Catholic schools in and around Melbourne and Geelong have adopted several approaches and programs to making social justice and service to the community part of the curriculum,” Stephen says.
“In some schools, students visit elderly citizens’ homes, engaging with and learning from community elders. When students truly engage, they are often surprised at how much they love this kind of work,” Stephen says.
Secondary schools also embark on outward-facing social justice projects overseas, where students work directly with local communities to build social capital or work in orphanages.
It’s all part of providing an insight into the benefits of giving up your time to help others.
“We hope the joy of giving gets into our students’ DNA and inspires them, and others, to value social justice activities as young adults,” Stephen says.
At Xavier College, the Social Justice Network extends to parents of students.
Xavier, and other schools, including Siena College and Haileybury, see their work as an opportunity to make a difference in the world.
Siena College principal Gaynor Robson-Garth says students are able to enhance their global perspectives.
“For all at Siena College, social justice is about making a difference in the world, through compassion and service to others,” she says.
“We help our students to critically examine the world and not be complacent.”
Haileybury marketing director Sarah Bryant says there are multiple benefits.
“For students it creates awareness of their community, as well as their own self-worth,” she says.
“We all benefit from living in a just society – one that supports the law and human rights, where each individual is valued as an equal member of that society.”
