EDUCATING FOR JUSTICE IN CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS Let us not develop an education that creates in the mind of the student a hope of becoming rich and having the power to dominate. That does not correspond to the time we live in. Let us form in the heart of the child and the young person the lofty ideal of loving, of preparing oneself to serve and to give oneself to others. Anything else would be education for selfishness… Oscar Romero © website

The objectives of educating for justice in a Catholic school: Make students more aware of injustice (cognitive objectives) Lead students to become increasingly concerned and compassionate towards those who suffer injustice (affective objectives) Lead students to become increasingly committed to work for justice (behavioural objectives) © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

What justice issues are engaging students at the moment? What are Catholic schools doing in the area of justice education? List some activities... What issues don’t engage students, but we think need to be addressed ?

FOR MANY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS THE BASIS OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS ARE: SOCIAL SERVICE / OUTREACH PROGRAMS FUNDRAISING UNITS OF WORK IN R.E. (AND OTHER?)

RE - SOSE - ENG - Other? Offer greater awareness through examining the nature and particular circumstances of injustice  Limited by compulsory classroom settings  Contains little action – mostly cognitive outcomes Challenge: Challenge: How do we develop effective units of work which engage students and encourage awareness, concern and commitment? UNITS OF WORK

FUNDRAISING Positive activity – can be embraced by a school community at short notice, or be a longer term focus  Amount of fundraising requested of schools is enormous - need to prioritise for practical and ethical reasons … particularly so in an emergency or where an organisation is best supported through funds  Fundraising can become the major or even sole focus of outreach, which does not build student skills and can de-personalise

Challenge: Challenge: How do we develop effective fund- raising policies and practices? How does the agency gather the funds? ? the use of advertising agencies ? use of rewards to the school or individual ? the message portrayed What is the background to the agency requesting the funds? Who are we funding ?

Students should know about, and be encouraged to care about, the issue that is the focus of the outreach activity. Some possible principles for fundraising … Emphasis should not always be on fund-raising, as this does not necessarily involve or affect student attitudes and values regarding the issue. Where possible, students should be involved in issues on an ongoing basis, rather than as one-off activities. © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

Where there is a fundraising activity, it should not undermine the purpose of the issue. Students should not be encouraged to participate in fundraising activities through the promise of personal gain or reward. (In Catholic schools) Catholic agencies which rely on Catholic community funding should be supported where possible. © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

? How to manage an activity with often large numbers of students ? How to prepare and de-brief adequately ? How to frame the activity within a Christian Catholic context OUTREACH/SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS Introduce students to the notion of community work and their role in the community Contribute to the local and/or wider community Confirm that the school holds service to others as central to its mission

COMPULSORY COMMUNITY SERVICE / OUTREACH ? Should students be made to help / care Can we manage large-scale programs so that: ? The experience is useful ? Skills are developed ? The experience is de-briefed adequately ? WorkSafe is happy! Challenges: How do we develop effective social service programs in Catholic schools? Should efforts be put into large compulsory programs, or specific volunteer programs?

SEE … PLAN … ACT SEE SEE what’s happening… and want to do something about it Make a PLAN to fix it We ACT on the plan We think about what happened and start again

ACT OUR OWN EYES OTHER PEOPLE’S EYES HELP INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS CHANGE THE SYSTEM JUSTICE CONTINUUM b ac d SEE SEE ACT © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

A We personally experienced the situations that people are living in, and tried to help them as best we could. C We learn about people in our local community or in the wider world who are suffering, and try to help them. Often this is in the form of fund-raising. WE ACT TO HELP … © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

B We see or experience things that are wrong in our school or local community and ask WHY? Why is it that people are living like this? And we try to change the structures that put people and keep people in these situations. D We see things that are wrong in the wider world and ask WHY? Why is it that people are living like this? And we try to change the structures that put people and keep people in these situations. WE ACT TO CHANGE STRUCTURES … © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

In education for justice, then, the old saying – ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand’ – takes on a new lease of life. It suggests that we can only know justice by doing it, in a unity of action and reflection. Brian Wren, Education for Justice p.11 PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES ARE PROVIDED so that students can enter into the development of their justice awareness and commitment in their own time and at their own level. SKILLS ARE DEVELOPED to allow students to affect situations of injustice they perceive. © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au

SCHOOLS MODEL JUSTICE. Education for justice … begins with our pupils experiencing justice in their own lives and with their growing recognition of parent and teacher models who are committed to … the development of that society of which they themselves are part. (Barry Dwyer) ATTEND TO AFFECTIVE OUTCOMES. Seek to make the connection between the cognitive understanding of the issue, and the behavioural action in response to the issue. This is the affective concern or compassion for those who suffer the injustice. © websitewww.justiceeducation.org..au