Jesus commanded us to “love others as much as you love yourself” (Mark 12: 31), and at Emmaus we strive to live this commandment in a variety of ways. This includes raising funds for different projects, education and awareness programs on local and global issues, and Social Justice initiatives within the college community.
Fundraising
Each year during Lent (term 1) we begin fundraising for a project suggested by the Pastors of the Christian traditions that are part of Emmaus College and continue throughout the year.
In the past we have supported:
- Caritas
- St John's Crisis Care Centre Surfers Paradise
- Ko Ki village in Cambodia
- Frontier Services
Short Term Projects
There are also a number of short term projects that we engage in throughout the year. These activities will involve a variety of interested students from across the college; a few of these activities are described below.
Vinnies School Sleepout – Emmaus College participates in the Vinnnie's School Sleepout, an event initiated by the St Vincent de Paul Society to raise awareness about homelessness in Australia. Students from Years 7 -12 are invited to spend the night sleeping rough at school to experience and understand some of the challenges faced by those who are homeless in our own country. Year 6 students are also involved in a number of activities during the afternoon and evening. As part of servant leadership, the Year 6 students assist in serving the evening meal to the Year 7-12 students.
Nursing home visits – a number of times throughout the year our choir visits a local nursing home, and at other times we have a group Senior Years students visit during Thursday sport.
Cambodia Immersion – Year 11 and 12 students are invited to travel to Cambodia and immerse themselves into another culture. They are encouraged to travel with an open mind, challenge their perspectives (and pallet) and come out of their comfort zone. This experience will hopefully inform them about the realities of others in the global family.
Social Justice Day – This day is aimed at our Year 10 students and is designed to tie in with their Religious Education studies. Guest speakers break open the challenges that people face in different parts of the world, including issues around fair trade, child slavery, Indigenous issues, refugees and asylum seekers and homelessness. Following the day, the Year 10 students identify a need and work on a Social Justice Project to raise further funds for the charity being supported each year.