Have you ever stopped to think about who made the clothes you are wearing? Who picked the cocoa used in your favourite chocolate bar? Or whether the products we buy every day might be connected to someone else’s exploitation?
These were some of the challenging questions confronting our Year 12 General Religion students during a Modern Slavery incursion on Thursday 6 August.
Facilitated by representatives from ACRATH (Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans), the incursion invited students to look beyond the products and services they encounter every day and consider the human stories behind them. Through interactive workshops and discussion, students explored issues including forced labour, fast fashion, exploitation within chocolate supply chains and other forms of modern slavery.
A key part of the Year 12 General Religion course is examining contemporary social issues and considering how the Catholic Church understands and responds to them. This learning helps students become informed global citizens who can recognise injustice, question the systems around them and consider how their own choices and voices can contribute to change.
Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, the day reinforced the belief that every person possesses inherent dignity and deserves to live free from exploitation. It also reflected the College’s Vision for Learning by connecting real-world issues with Catholic values and encouraging students to become stewards of compassion, justice and the Kolbe story.
“The incursion made me aware of issues happening in our world that I never knew still existed. My group wants to explore forced labour for our assessment: this hidden issue affects many people, even young people like me”, said Ella, Year 12.
The learning will now move beyond the classroom. As part of their creative assessment, students will take on the role of an ACRATH advocate, developing a social media campaign and facilitating a mini lesson for a younger audience on a modern slavery issue of their choice.
In doing so, students are challenged to live out Maximilian Kolbe’s values of courage, faith and excellence: to notice injustice, speak with purpose and use their learning to help create a more compassionate and just world.
