Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association Conference

This year three Year 10 students represented Damascus College at the Australasian Mercy Secondary Schools Association (AMSSA) Conference in Bendigo. The theme was ‘Mercy: Pathways of Joy and Hope.’

The conference was an opportunity for students to come together and hear inspirational stories from organisations such as Young Mercy Links, Mercy Health, and ACRATH. Seeing so many young people keen to seek understanding and wanting to take action against slavery, trafficking, climate change and poverty was truly inspirational.

There were also times for stillness and prayer including the celebration of the Eucharist at the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral. The students particularly enjoyed time for some sightseeing around Bendigo concluding with a very special dinner for all delegates at the Bendigo Town Hall. There was much singing and dancing at this event.

Overall, it was a great opportunity for students to nurture the seeds of Mercy in schools across the nation and build networks and friendships with fellow travellers on the Mercy path.

Here are some insights from the students who attended the event − Quinn Moore, Archie Jones and Lucy Gravell:

Quinn - I had such an amazing time at camp getting to know like-minded individuals from all over Australia. It was really special to listen to everyone's unique stories and learn about life at different Mercy schools. Building connections with people I wouldn't have met otherwise was incredibly valuable. It was fascinating to meet students from Queensland, South Australia, and even a school from Tasmania. The diversity of experiences and backgrounds coming together over our shared values was truly incredible. This experience has resulted in us making many new friends across Australia, and I'm truly grateful for it.

Archie - During this camp we learned about the countless number of woman and children who suffer from family violence each year, and the services available to them, such as McAuley Community Services for Women which we have here in Ballarat. We made self-care bags for the women full of goodies such as shampoo, conditioner, sanitary products and some beauty products.

Lucy - During our AMSSA Student Conference, we had the opportunity to do some tourism throughout Bendigo. We were lucky enough to visit the Central Deborah Gold Mines, and see what life was like for a gold miner during the gold rush in Bendigo. We learnt how the Central Deborah was the deepest gold mine in Australia, and how they checked for safety in the mines, how they collected gold, and how to spot gold within a quartz rock. We were also fortunate to visit the Great Stupa, which is only 2m smaller than the Pyramids of Giza! It was a great educational opportunity to learn about Buddhism and different religions, and how they perceive mercy. Given that the themes of this conference was ‘Mercy: Pathways of Joy and Hope’, our activities were relevant and enriching.