Social Justice Week

During week 3, MSCW celebrated our 2023 Social Justice Week as a community, celebrating the theme ‘Embracing Diversity’. As a community filled with many individual talents, gifts and backgrounds, we engaged in various activities run by the Marists in Action (MIA) group.

On Monday, we pieced together a ‘Tree of Life’ where students were able to stamp their fingerprint onto a large poster. The ‘Tree of Life’ represented all our individual identities, as well as our contribution to the wider community. The following day, the MIA group handed out strips of coloured paper where students were invited to write an affirmation for either themselves or friends. These affirmations were linked together, expressing their unity within diversity as they learn to appreciate the differences of those around us.

On Wednesday, we formed a ‘multicultural board’, where students were invited to write key words or phrases in their own languages to represent the many diverse cultures celebrated at MSCW. In addition to this, during Principal’s Assembly on Wednesday, the Social Justice Co-Captains identified the vast range of multiculturalism within the school, and played a fun video about diversity in beauty standards, cultures, talents and more, and advocated for a more inclusive environment within the school community.

On Thursday, ‘The Greatest Showman’ was played in the Theatrette, where students were able to reflect on the diverse nature of characters within the film. On the last day, we held a multicultural bake sale, where students and staff were encouraged to donate baked goods and sweets from their own cultures to share with our school community. 

All donations raised during Social Justice Week went towards Marist 180’s Social Inclusion Program, where they aim to advocate and aid those who are marginalised within our society. Read more about Marist 180 here.

Social Justice Week was a great success in advocating for the wide range of diversity within our own school community. We were given the opportunity to appreciate the diversity within our wider communities, such as those struggling with the rise in cost of living, those linguistically challenged and those who may be unemployed. 

We hope to have brought light into ‘Embracing Diversity’ and we encourage you to continue embracing what makes you… you!

Katelyn Lopes and Isabelle Mourani, Social Justice Co-Captains