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Geelong Deanery |
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VOYAGE Student NetworkEach year about this time, students from each of Geelong’s Catholic secondary schools embark on a special VOYAGE. By the end of this journey, we hope to have helped people in Geelong and around the world, and also learnt a few things too. VOYAGE stands for the Voice of Students Around Geelong and Everywhere. VOYAGE student network has been operating for two years, during which time the young people involved have worked on several important social justice projects for the people of Geelong and beyond. VOYAGE is comprised of Year 10 to Year 12 students from Geelong’s five Catholic secondary schools. The students meet each fortnight to discuss social justice issues, faith and involvement in projects that reflect these issues. In its first year the major project for VOYAGE was the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. In support of the campaign a photographic exhibition was brought to Geelong. Last year the major project was raising money for hygiene kits that were distributed locally to young homeless people. In 1999, VOYAGE hopes to be involved in local and international projects. We have already been petitioning for signatures for the Jubilee 2000 campaign to alleviate world debt. This is a major project worldwide and hopefully many parishes are already involved. If we can raise 22 million signatures worldwide, there will be pressure on the major lender countries to cancel out the unpayable debt owed by Third World countries. Our other projects planned for this year are a mass tree-planting to commemorate World Environment Day, and involvement in the Midwinter Sleepout to raise money for Melbourne Citymission. These projects are both global and local, and will involve fundraising and awareness raising about issues that are important to young people. We hope to be working not only among the schools, but visiting parishes and the general community during the year for support with our projects. We are hoping this year that we will be able to be a voice in our community, letting people know what we are doing and getting great support around the town. So if our young people come to your parish during the year, or you see something about VOYAGE in your school’s newsletter, feel free to give us a hand. If we all do our bit, the VOYAGE can be shared by people everywhere. |
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