‘From the Inside Out’ is the Year 10 theme and the cohort would put this into action on their Year 10 Retreat. The purpose of this experience is to reinforce the fundamental Christian message that God created us all with gifts and talents in order to make the world a better place.
The retreat consisted of a visit to local Catholic primary schools to teach a lesson of Religious Education to the students, followed by some collegiality over lunch. Year 10 leader Sophie reminisced that, “It was a nice experience to interact with the younger year groups and to return to my primary school and see old teachers and how the school has changed.” Fellow Year 10 Leader James added, “The kids were very energetic and very happy to see us. It made me feel great because they loved learning and I loved teaching them.”
Teaching the primary students is an initially daunting task and really places responsibility on the Year 10s to be organised with the content, on this occasion it was a lesson about one of our Kolbe House Patrons, St. Ignatius of Loyola. Year 10 Leader Eva was surprised at how engaged the primary students were, “The students listened better than you thought they would. It brought back fond memories of primary school.”
The retreat also consisted of a service day, where the Year 10s served at a local charity as a way of using their gifts to transform the world around them. Year 10 Leader James, found his experience cooking meals for those less fortunate enjoyable, “I enjoyed cooking with my friends. I enjoyed helping others while also having fun with my friends.” Eva would share these sentiments “My service activity at The Crew felt like a bonding experience with my peers and I thought it was fun. It gave us more insight into how I can help people that don’t have what we do.” These community service activities shone a light on a sad reality for Sophie, who reflected that “It made me realise that other people don’t have easy access to clothing, mattresses, shoes and other essential items that we might take for granted.”
The Year 10 retreat was a tremendous success due to the positive attitude of these students who have a desire to make a difference in the world and this retreat has reinforced that this is what God has put them in the world to do.
