Project Compassion Launch

The Caritas Project Compassion Launch invited students across Western Australian Catholic schools to unite at Corpus Christi College to invest in making a change.

This year’s focus is ‘Aspire not to have more, but to be more’. The focus from Saint Oscar Romero requires all Christians, to let go of material obsession and to look towards inner harmony as God’s reward for what you do in life. It motivates us to go out and care for our neighbours and live life by our values.  

The Year 9 Just Leadership girls had the opportunity to participate in this important event. We learned about the significance of Caritas through various presenters. Bernice who was presenting from Sydney spoke about her work supplying emergency food and water in poverty-stricken areas. Bernice talked about the work Caritas does as an organisation to help others get the essentials they need to survive and live a life with their basic human needs met. It was extremely interesting and heart-breaking at the same time.

We were told about so many people in need, including the Rohingya refugees moving from Myanmar to Bangladesh, who had to flee their homes due to famine, natural disasters, war-torn areas, and other factors; even carrying their own children for days to reach somewhere safe (like Myanmar refugee and Project Compassion receiver Jamila).

 With students from other schools, we brainstormed ideas to help people in these situations to ensure they get the support they deserve. Because to ‘be more’, we must use our skills and the opportunities presented to us to assist others so that they may also aspire to become more.

Abigail Marra, Year 9