Urban Camp
From Tuesday 13 September to Friday 16 September students were transported to Fitzroy for Urban Camp. You can’t make Poverty History until you make Poverty Personal was the catch cry of The 2016 Urban Camp run by the Brotherhood of St Laurence.
The Urban Camp’s aim is to educate and influence a new generation of young people to understand the problems that disadvantaged Australians deal with on a daily basis. Ivanhoe Grammar School has been involved with the camp for a number of years with the students involved coming away from the experience with a greater awareness of the need for social justice and community development and a greater appreciation for their own situation in life.
This year, 23 Year 10 and 11 students took part in the camp. Throughout the week, students engaged with many different people and programs, such as students from the Young Adult Migration Education Centre (YAMEC), working in the Brotherhood of St Laurence warehouse, walking the streets of Melbourne with 300 Blankets, spending time with the Breakfast Club and cubbies kids and sharing with the members of the Coolibah Centre.
Students were able to participate in a myriad of life-changing activities and discussions that helped them to have a greater understanding of poverty in Melbourne with the goal of making poverty personal. They visited social enterprises in Fitzroy and saw the reality of life for newly arrived migrants and refugees.
Overall, the camp challenged students who were confronted and moved by the stories and experiences of everyone they met. This unique camp gave them a much greater insight into the challenges faced by many in their own vicinity and this in turn empowered them to start making a difference.
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