Youth Ministry Officer at Mackillop Senior College, Daniel Underhill, recently travelled to Adelaide to take part in the St Vincent de Paul Society National (SVDPS) Congress.
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The ‘One Society, a United Voice’ congress was held at St Aloysius’ College in Adelaide at the beginning of October, bringing together more than 180 young people from around Australia, with Mr Underhill representing the Hastings Region.
The experience, he said, has inspired him to encourage more young people to get involved in the community.
“I was told it had been 60 years since a gathering of this type was held so it was a little intimidating at first, with high-level representation, including youth reps from other regions,” Mr Underhill said.
“However, it quickly became obvious that we were all working towards a common purpose, and I’ve come away with strong connections to people from national and state SVDPS and some great ideas that will help us with our work locally,” he said.
The three-day event included addresses by keynote speakers Phil Glendenning from the Edmund Rice Centre, well-known Indigenous academic and writer Larissa Behrendt from the University of Technology Sydney, and John Falzon, CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Group activities and discussions provided a number of opportunities to share views about key challenges facing communities today, particularly in the social justice and community service space, Mr Underhill said.
“The conference really highlighted how many people are keen to work for social justice and to serve their communities in a selfless and constructive way.
“The reception given to younger people such as myself was really heartening, and showed that our elders understand that we are the future, and have faith in us to work for positive change in society.”
Mr Underhill said that at a grassroots level, there are already a number of programs operating in our region.
“Through St Agnes Parish, we already have Mini Vinnies in primary schools, while in our high schools seniors run fundraising events, support the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal and contribute to christmas hampers each year,” he said.
“Those events are awesome and we want to keep them growing.
“I am also keen to connect to any young people looking to get involved in community service outside the school environment, please get in touch, so we can discuss what we might do to support the work currently being done by St Vincent De Paul in the local area.”
