Community Human Rights Forum
02/04/2019Youth Leadership, Human Rights and the Importance of taking action.
A Community Human Rights forum at the Bendigo Town Hall on 15 March, provided an invaluable opportunity for our students to meet with other young leaders engaged in youth initiatives.
As part of their ‘Celebrating Stories Project 2019’, the Bridging English as an Additional Language (EAL) Unit 1 students welcomed the chance to hear engaging young panellists discuss the importance of education in helping young people tackle difficult social issues.
Prior to attending, students worked to complete a series of reading and listening tasks designed to develop core knowledge of concepts and terms associated with Human Rights. During the event, students were given an opening to present questions to the panel and later, to exchange stories with other young members of the audience.
Keynote speaker at the forum, Fadak Alfayadh, is a prominent human rights lawyer and gender equality advocate. Against the background of her own journey of migration from Iraq, Fadak encouraged participants to reflect on their personal journey to Australia in order to inspire a sense of welcoming and community. Other speakers at the forum included Ashley Eadon, an inclusive communities advocate and former Youth Citizen of the Year; Yadallah Balkhi, former Bendigo Senior Secondary College student and human rights advocate for the Pakistani community; Maddie Lyall, youth ambassador and young leader of the Indigenous Community; and Po Tu Tu, former Catherine McAuley College student and member of the local Karen community.
Congratulations to all students for their leadership and courage to share their stories.
Ms Dianne Hill, Bridging English Teacher
