Social Justice Programs
Social Justice at St Pius X College Chatswood is embedded in ongoing and mutually rewarding service, partnerships and reconciliation programs as well as fundraising and appeals that give practical help and hope to those in need.
Each year students can support Social Justice programs through volunteering their time and donations.
Social Justice Programs include:
The Edmund Rice Society
“Giving Voice to the Voiceless”
The Edmund Rice Society is a voluntary group of students in Years 5 to 11 who work together to support the charism of Edmund Rice by giving practical help and hope to those in need.
Meeting weekly, Society members discuss and take action on a range of issues including youth mental health issues, asylum seekers and local community needs.
‘Red Dirt’ Indigenous Immersion to Bourke, Brewarrina and Dubbo
Students from Years 7-11 are given the opportunity to volunteer for the SPX ‘Red Dirt’ Immersion. Over the course of a week, students talk to, and interact with a variety of indigenous and non-indigenous communities to increase their awareness of issues surrounding rural communities in country NSW, and the perspectives of students and residents residing within these communities.
Year Based Social Justice Programs
As part of their Pastoral Programs within the College, students are given the opportunity to participate in projects within their year groups in order to gain an appreciation of the issues faced by those who are less fortunate. These programs include:
Year 7: The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree involves giving donations to St Mary’s Primary School in Bowraville in time for the Christmas Season.
Year 7 Students are educated on issues such as social inequality and the importance of charity and generosity towards others.
Year 8: Daffodil Day
Year 8 Students are given the opportunity to volunteer in the Chatswood Mall Precinct, selling Daffodils and other items to fundraise for Daffodil Day, one of the Cancer Council’s biggest fundraisers during the year.
Year 9: St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal
Year 9 students organise and lead a college-wide fundraising drive for the St Vincent De Paul Winter Appeal, demonstrating leadership in embodying the Edmund Rice tradition of “giving to the poor in handfuls”.
Year 10: Community Involvement and Immersion Programs
Year 10 are exposed to programs intended to challenge existing perceptions and viewpoints by exposing them to a number of social justice-based experiences.
The College’s Community Involvement Program involves students doing 20 hours of volunteer work in a manner that assists the less fortunate. This includes working with SPX partner organisations such as the Matthew Talbot Hostel, the Willowwood Aged Care Centre and Centacare Industries, a facility that employs high functioning workers with intellectual disabilities.
Students can also volunteer for one of five Year 10 Immersion Programs, which sees student groups doing a week of volunteer work in a variety of practical contexts. The immersions are run with partner schools and organisations in Bowraville, Walgett, the Central Coast, as well as various locations within the North Shore.
Year 11: Founder’s Day
Year 11 Student Leaders are challenged to develop a theme for, and assist in planning the College’s Founder’s Day Celebrations – a day celebrating the Charism of Edmund Rice and his commitment to the area of Social Justice.
Year 12: Project Compassion
As leaders of the student body, Year 12 lead the annual collection effort for Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s Lenten Appeal. This involves participating in fundraising activities, and encouraging younger years to give generously to the appeal.