iServi News | 29 July 2022 | Term 3, Week 2
As our Year 11 students take a lead in their own education, they look to the Good Shepard to support them in their journey. Retreats are fantastic opportunities for students to build positive connections with their classmates, reflect on their lives and explore their relationships with Christ.
Our students learn that to become servant leaders they must not only serve through good example and the pursuit of justice, but also seek to build strong relationships so those people they encounter will follow.
Sr Chitra Justin OSM
Ministry Team
All Year 11 students participated in retreat days across a number of Perth city venues during 27-28 July. We completed a series of different challenges and sessions as a team to try and win the Amazing Race with Christ. The day was a great way to talk to different people and get to know more about ourselves. We considered our strengths, weakness and our personality types in order to understand what a good leader looks like. Overall the day was a really good experience!
Taiya Leone (SE1)
With an early start in the Perth CBD, we began the first day of our retreat at St Mary’s Cathedral. Our challenge for the day was to take part in an Amazing Race with Christ with the use of an app.
The app prompted teams to create a team photo and name, then took each team to a particular location to unlock a task/s. Tasks included a mannequin challenge, riddles and brain teasers. During these challenges all students visited three different locations where they met members of the College’s Ministry Team to discuss leadership and Jesus’ role within our lives based on our personalities.
It was a fantastic morning, followed by lunch where we shared pizza and spoke to people within our randomly allocated student groups, which was a great opportunity to connect with people we may not talk to in our day-to-day school life.
The afternoon involved more challenges and inspiring talks with hands on activities. Some locations we explored throughout the day were Yagan Square, WA Museum Boola Bardip, Elizabeth Quay and Perth Concert Hall.
Overall, the day was amazing and I allowed myself to explore my leadership qualities on a deeper level. I discovered what it really meant to be considered a ‘good’ leader and how we can show Jesus within every action we do to truly resemble his image and likeness.
On the second day of our retreat students considered the issue of Modern Slavery, which can include all forms of contemporary slavery, trafficking and exploitation. Destiny Rescue Partnerships Manager Mr Darren Reynolds spoke to all students about his organisation’s work around the world with rescue, reintegration and prevention programs. The day inspired students to push back against the injustice of Modern Slavery through empathy, advocacy and fundraising.
Across both days of our retreat, all students opened our minds and hearts up to leadership and social justice. This retreat was a great opportunity to consider how we are all leaders and can make a positive change in society.
Aria Cozza (OLS2)
