Welcome back to our College community for 2022

The College has been conducting this mandatory Social Justice program for over 20 years. Each student in Years 8-11 is required to complete at least 15 hours of service for others, by the end of Term 3.

• Please ask your son to see me or his Religious Education teacher for more information.
• Please contact me if you have any questions about Waterford.
• Your son will have the program explained clearly to him in the next week.

St Edward’s is guided by the Touchstones, our Edmund Rice Education Australia theme, which runs across all EREA schools.

Why Do We Engage Ourselves and Our Students in the Waterford Project? 

This is the absolute key question to discuss, among ourselves, within ourselves and with our students in Religious Education classes. Discernment and reflection will create a clear path for us all on the question and will also lead to greater motivation and outcomes for our boys. We are not simply humanitarian, it runs via a deeper response to the Good News – a Christian context in our Catholic tradition.

It is so important that boys are constantly engaged in class discussions and individually, as to why we do Waterford!

Some likely answers are:

1. Jesus Teaches and Edmund Rice demonstrates the Call. We follow, as disciples.  It is sacramental and a key part of the Catholic worldview and Papal teaching: ‘Act justly, love tenderly, walk humbly with God’, Micah. ‘Love one another’, Jesus.
2. Our broad stated College values:   Liberating Education, and Justice and Solidarity (Touchstones)
3. We enact and activate what we say, the Gospel is more than words.
4. Helps boys to consider future job/career opportunities, via exposure to people on the margins and the agencies and people who work to support them.
5. It develops a person, by engaging with people on the margins – formational, for life.
6. It can often be a fun, happy experience – make new friends, meet new people.

First 5 weeks of 2022, due to COVID-related restrictions, service could be:

• Home-based eg  babysitting younger siblings; helping younger children with reading, musical instruments, sports skills; contacting elderly neighbours; cleaning/fixing gardens, etc
• Online Advocacy campaigns eg for refugees and asylum seekers.
• Fundraising campaigns.

Mr Pat Dell
Leader of Learning Social Justice