Putting your hand up
Zach Woodward's passion for helping others has seen him involved in many community and fundraising initiatives, including the St Vincent de Paul Buddies Program and the Passionists' social justice group, all while studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at Australian Catholic University (ACU). A guest speaker at ACU 's Social Justice Youth Forum in Brisbane earlier this year, we asked Zach to explain why other young people should also be passionate about these issues.
I was 13-years-old when I was first introduced to the term 'social justice'. I sat in the assembly hall of my new high school and listened to a senior student talk about the various opportunities to get involved in groups such as St Vincent de Paul and Rosies Street Vans. He was talking about how the Vinnies group did a lawn mowing outreach on a Saturday morning, and he invited us to come to a meeting and put our name on the roster. This sounded so exciting to me!
Being a naive Year 8 student, I thought the whole school would be just as excited, so I rushed to be the first one to the meeting. I walked into the empty meeting room, and as time went by only five or six other students showed up. I couldn't believe it. The whole school had just been invited to participate in this amazing group, and only a handful turned up!
That day marked the beginning of a series of new and enlightening experiences for me. From that moment, I knew I had been called to be involved in social justice.
Since then I've been involved in various forms of outreach work, and I have learned many lessons about humanity and empathy along the way.
What I would like young people to understand is that everyone has a unique story. Everyone has different challenges and experiences in life, and you cannot make judgements about people based on stereotypes or assumptions.
I've spoken with other young people about some homeless people I have spent time with over the past few years. When you look at their situations, how they became homeless, and what they are like as people, we see that the homeless are often regular people who have gone through devastating or extraordinary situations. It is important not to judge others. Everyone is entitled to compassion.
I think many teenagers feel that their faith is not a big part of their lives. I have found that being involved in social justice groups is an ideal first step for young people to feel a deeper connection with their faith, and ultimately the mission of the church. It also teaches them to appreciate what they have, to put the needs of others before their own, and to practice understanding.
This is why it's so important to have days like the Social Justice Youth Forum, to allow high school students to hear stories and find out how to be more involved in serving others.
Schools have so many opportunities for students to get involved in social justice outreach, and I firmly believe that it's one way to bring teenagers back to the Church.