Corbett Girls Help Women & Children in Need
As a class, Year 9 Corbett had many discussions at the beginning of the Strive9 project about what is important to them, and what society needs at this moment in time. Through these discussions, it was clear the girls wanted to do a project that would help children in difficult situations. Through further discussion and a vote, the girls decided to support a women’s refuge. The girls then contacted the refuge to find out how they could help.
The girls reached out through a parent of the College who works at the refuge. This refuge provides emergency accommodation for women and children who are fleeing situations of domestic violence.
Many women and children leave their homes with nothing, they leave everything behind and have to start again. To help, the Homeroom collected items for care packages over Terms 2 and 3. The ladies at the refuge sent a list of items that would be most useful for each pack. They already receive a lot of donations of common items such as toiletries and hygiene products. However, there are individual items that women and children need that many people don’t think of such as lunch boxes and water bottles.
Corbett student Stephanie Hicks said “As a Homeroom, we worked together with each person bringing in essential items to add to care packs. These packs were delivered to the shelter by selected students on Implementation Day. The packs were created for both women and children currently at the shelter. We’re hoping that these gift packs will help bring a little happiness and support to women and children that are going through these difficult times.”
The girls also baked a morning tea for the families at the refuge which was held during Implementation Day. The Homeroom also made a banner for the march against domestic violence for the shelter to use at the end of November.
Two guest speakers came along to the College prior to Implementation Day, which gave the girls a lot of insight into the issue of domestic violence and the necessary work carried out by the refuge. Homeroom Teacher, Ciara Boyle said, “It really helped us to connect with our project on a deeper level and understand why we were doing it.”
Another guest speaker joined the girls on Implementation Day who has volunteered for many years in Fremantle helping homeless women in difficult situations. She talked about how women in situations of domestic violence may end up homeless. She explained to us how many women are not fortunate to find a space in a women’s refuge, and showed us the issue goes beyond what we initially thought.
Ciara has been with her Homeroom since Year 7. “This has been a wonderful opportunity to see the students grow and take more responsibility. Each student brought their own special gifts to the project, this was truly a student-led project. Each student was responsible for bringing in a different item for the care packages, a group organised the ingredients, recipes and allergen labels for the morning tea and another group worked on the banner and the supportive cards for the women in the refuge. As a class, they have always been very thoughtful and spend time thinking of others. This was a great opportunity to put those thoughts into action.”, said Ciara.
The girls from Year 9 Corbett hope their project and care packages will directly help the women and children in the refuge. We are also hoping that this project will raise important discussions surrounding the issue of domestic violence and increase awareness about the severity of this issue.
The Power of Expectations in Shaping Student Success – Jennifer Oaten
Discover the transformative impact of expectations on student success. Learn how belief shapes outcomes in education and beyond.
Weekly Wrap Up: Term 2, Week 1, 2024
Term 2 has kicked off with a bang! We enjoyed the Year 11 Father-Daughter evening, celebrated Earth Day, and welcomed Dr. Mark Williams.
Inspiring Change: Earth Day 2024
Our Earth Day celebration this week was a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to protect our planet for future generations.
- Collaboration, emPower, Featured, Learning4Life, Respect
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
