Mary MacKillop Catholic College has been selected to compete in the Archibull Prize Competition. This is an initiative by ‘Picture You in Agriculture’ to encourage young people to develop their knowledge of the agricultural industry and the wide array of jobs within the industry.

Sixteen girls in Years 7 – 10 from the Newman Selective Gifted Education Program are meeting each week to discuss our ideas and develop an initiative to highlight the importance of the agricultural industry. Based on our initiative and research, we will design an art installation incorporating a life-size fibreglass bull – which in our case is actually a cow. We will also have the opportunity to meet with a Young Farming Champion from rural Australia to learn more about how they have explored opportunities and found success through agriculture.

So far in the Archibull Prize, we have selected our Sustainable Development Goal to focus on, Gender Equity, and brainstormed ideas about Gender Equity and the agricultural industry. We have developed our preliminary research ideas for the school to take part in, including surveys for all the Newman Classes. We have delved into gender stereotypes, lack of female representation, lack of awareness and initiatives already available for women.

Our next steps are to analyse the data from the surveys and begin our formal proposal for an initiative at school for all to participate in. We look forward in sharing our journey with you.

Bianca Coates, Emily Lu and Cerise Silva