On Thursday 15 July our Senior VCAL students experienced a full-day workshop exploring issues around homelessness and poverty, working closely with mentors from Kids in Philanthropy.
Kids In Philanthropy (Kip) is a community organisation that mobilises others to directly make a difference by working alongside charities who provide benevolent relief to those in need and make the world a better place.
Students listened to guest speakers Sherreen Barker from charity organisation Discovery Community Care and Holy Fools founder and CEO Neal Taylor, as well as embarking on the creation of items to make life better for those less fortunate in our community.
Together the students made 88 scarves as well as preparing 166 chocolate crackles in the College’s kitchen to add to bags of donated goods to be distributed by Discovery Care and Holy Fools.
They also painted 50 cardboard figures as part of Holy Fools' Field of Hope campaign, with each figure intended to represent the number of homeless people in Australia as part of Homelessness Week, from 1-7 August.
Holy Fools is a not-for-profit charity focusing on the Yarra Ranges, partnering with the community to end homelessness.
“It was a very successful day with KiP,” Year 12 student Mitchell D’Aloisio said. “I learnt a lot about homelessness in the Yarra Valley — most surprisingly that many homeless people are my age. It felt great to give back through the activities we participated in.”
The workshop was part of the Personal Development Studies subject. The next step in the students’ Community Projects is for them to form a partnership with an external community organisation and develop a way to either contribute, advocate, volunteer or educate in their identified area.
We look forward to seeing the differences that can be made. Well done to everyone involved in the workshop.
