As part of the Year 9 Compass program, students undertake a unit of work entitled “Learner, Leader, Team Member”. This unit intends to help students reflect on their learning strengths, consider their leadership abilities, and develop a growth mindset, all with the purpose of focusing their interactions and initiatives at Year 9 in a positive, supportive and effective manner.
The goals of this unit dovetail nicely with the Mercy Education value of ‘Courage’, the focus at Year 9. We hope that our students understand that to act with courage takes strength, resilience, and a prudent use of the skills given us. It also often requires us to put others before ourselves and acknowledge that courage is a gift of God, the source of all that is good.
It is in this context that we were privileged to welcome to our College on Wednesday 9 February and Wednesday 23 February the organisation ‘Courage to Care’. Courage to Care presents students with the belief that ordinary people have the power to make a positive difference to the lives of others by being upstanders rather than bystanders. Taking inspiration from extraordinary real-life acts of courage, their programs inspire people to make a true difference in the community by standing up and taking action, creating real change.
The experience was profoundly powerful. Students were exposed to examples of people successfully standing up to hatred and discrimination such as Oskar Schindler, Chiune Sugihara and Indigenous leader William Cooper. However, most moving was the firsthand testimony by Judy Kolt — a Holocaust survivor (pictured above with students) — about her experiences of kindness, courage and sacrifice by others after the invasion of Poland in 1939 when she was only three years old. The message that evil can be challenged when ordinary people act was clearly communicated to our students and was certainly heard. Students were encouraged to look for opportunities to speak out about the injustices they encounter, both small and large, in order to build a community that values diversity, safety and freedom from fear.
When asked if the experience was worthwhile, students responded extremely positively, recommending that this new initiative should continue as part of the Year 9 program in future years — a ringing endorsement. Everyone involved was very satisfied with the gracious and impactful delivery of the program and the enthusiastic and respectful engagement of our students. We hope our students continue to act as upstanders in our school community, fulfilling the words of Catherine McAuley to “speak as your mind directs, and always act with courage”.
