Christmas Hampers for St Vincent de Paul

Thank you very much for your generosity in donations towards the Mini Vinnies Christmas Hampers. The hampers will be presented to Kym Duggan and Andrew Phelan, delegates of St Vincent de Paul for our parish, after the Kinder Nativity this Friday, 8 December.

Mini Vinnies Social Justice Workshop

Our Mini Vinnies Social Justice Workshop was held on Thursday 6 December.

Eva Davidson reports:

On Social Juctice Day we learnt about homelessness. Mrs Mingay created a series of different points, all on homelessness for us to learn about. They included games, a video conference, and activities.

One of the games I enjoyed and learnt from the most was when Mrs Mingay named a job and a time frame, for example polishing shoes and a week. If you had done that chore in the time frame, you got chocolate. If you hadn't, you got no chocolate.

The intention of this game was to show you how it felt to be at the bottom or top of society. If you had lots of chocolate, you were 'at the top'. If you had no or little chocolate, you were 'at the bottom'. What I found interesting was that only one person said 'I will only take a few, because I don't want to be greedy'.

Overall, I think everyone had a good time and learnt a lot.

The focus of the workshop was Homelessness to align with the Social Justice Statement 2018, titled: ‘A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land’, released by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council on 30 September this year http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/files/SJSandresources/2018/050918/Social%20Justice%20Statement%202018%20WEB.pdf ).

The latest figures for Homelessness are sourced from Australian Bureau of Statistics Census taken in 2016. It revealed that on Census night 116,427 people were homeless in Australia. 7% of the total were ‘rough sleepers’, those who sleep on the streets, in parks, under bridges etc. 42% of the total were under 25 years of age. There are various reasons for homelessness: broken marriages and domestic violence, financial difficulties (unemployment for example resulting from illness/accident/redundancy, increase in rent for accommodation, increase in bank interest rates, migrants unable to access assistance, elderly people effected by increase in cost of living), short supply of affordable housing for those on low incomes, disabilities, drug/alcohol/mental health issues.

What can we do?

Educate – be aware of the situation. Read good information sources. Help dispel the stereotype of a ‘homeless person’ being dirty, begging and in that situation due to poor life choices. An informative website is https://www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au/fact-sheets

Respect – treat people who are experiencing homelessness with respect and courtesy.

Donate - donate money, toys, clothing or food to organisations who assist people who are experiencing homelessness

Volunteer – volunteer your time, skills or expertise to organisations who support people experiencing homelessness. A list of organisations in Canberra can be found at: https://www.mycommunitydirectory.com.au/Australian_Capital_Territory/Canberra/Accommodation_Services/Specialist_Homelessness_Services

Holiday Happenings

Holiday Happenings is an excellent resource for activities for children during the school holidays. There is a great Colouring-In Competition in the middle spread with Family Passes to be won to tour the National Carillion, see the giant bell and meet a carillionist. Entries must be in by 16 January 2019. Access online at https://www.holidayhappenings.com.au/online-booklet

Thank you to everyone for all your support and contributions throughout the year. It has been a real pleasure to work for and be part of the St Thomas More’s community. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and New Year and safe and happy holidays.

Feel welcome to visit or contact me on 6249 8869 or send an email to sonja.mingay@cg.catholic.edu.au .

Sonja Mingay
School Chaplain
Work hours: Thu 11am-3pm, Fri 9am-3pm