STORY - "Third Millennium Missionariest."
By Tracey Edstein.

Some of the younger students on my bus said, ‘Kim, what are you doing for schoolies?’” The answer probably surprised them, as Kim Sutton and six classmates from Year 12 at St Francis Xavier’s College are travelling farther north than is customary, to the Emera district of East Timor.

The students, who belong to the Social Justice group at the school, initiatedby Connor Ashleigh, have a strong desire to use the time between the Higher School Certificate and the post-school world to “make a difference”. They have been inspired by the stories and images presented by Robert Sheridan who spent some weeks in East Timor in late 2004, under the auspices of the Catholic Schools Office.

As Kim said, “We were motivated by Mr Sheridan’s experience and Connor’s driving force.” Their plans involve not only paying their own way, but raising funds to take as a gift to the Bakhita Community Centre, where they will spend time teaching English and computer skills. They will be accompanied by teachers Robert Sheridan and Cormac O’Riordan.

The funds donated have the potential to have a real impact on people who are our neighbours, but whose lives have been marred by poverty, tyranny and the loss of many compatriots. While the students have no argument with the conventional celebrations that follow hard on the heels of the HSC, Michael Crawford said uncompromisingly, “I see ‘schoolies’ as a temporary fix. East Timor is going to be something we remember for life.”

Principal Br Hubert enthuses about the goodness inherent in young people, describing them recently as “Responsible, socially aware, enthusiastic, generous, happy, even compliant!” In Lavalla, the journal of the Association of Marist Schools of Australia, Br David Hall wrote about students in a variety of Marist schools who are involved in social justice activities: “In a world characterised by individualism, the ‘me’ culture, it is a sign of real hope that our young people are so consciously ‘other’ focused.”

Kim and Connor, Michael and Paul, Ashlee and Josh are under no illusions as to the difficulties they can expect to encounter. Connor has already visited Cambodia and maintains his enthusiasm for sharing in how the majority world lives. As well as experiencing life on the other side of the teacher’s desk, the students will renovate a classroom at the Marist Teachers College, Bacau, and visit Dili, hopefully meeting President Xanana Gusmao.

If individuals or businesses would like to contribute to the funds the students will donate to the projects in which they will work in East Timor, please contact Mr Robert Sheridan at St Francis Xavier’s College, (02) 4961 2863.

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