As with most things, gaining some distance from high school has made me better appreciate the lessons I was taught, and the opportunities I was given at Queenwood. I am only two years out of school and already I can see the impact that the Social Justice Programme had on me. I see it in my engagement with the world around me, and my ability to navigate new challenges and connections with people.
In the college and university environment, I have been exposed to a range of new worlds, even from behind a computer screen. As I broaden my horizons and meet new people, learn, and engage more with the world – a sometimes-daunting process – I am often reminded of my experiences with Macleay Vocational College through Queenwood. Having been separated from my high school and university peers for the better part of two years, I am in awe at how we were able to create such a bond with the MVC students in such a short period of time.
My year as Social Justice Prefect taught me some unanticipated skills; one of the most significant is creative problem-solving. When I heard about the exhibition fundraiser for MVC, I was again reminded of the power of connection through creative thinking and expression.
One of my most impactful memories from school is the trip I went on to MVC in Year 11. During one of our day visits to the school, a group of us Queenwood students took part in a short art class with MVC students. I am not a talented artist, and at the time I was just enjoying the break that painting provided from some of the other, heavier experiences of the trip. But, with hindsight, I understand the bond that was created in that classroom between me and MVC through art. Now, when I look at my small canvas, I think about how I was able to connect with a whole group of people from a different place, life, and culture, through this non-verbal form of communication.
Even if I do not understand art, I can understand its role as a vehicle for expression, healing, connection and culture. An art auction that connects Queenwood students with MVC students through a common medium is such a wonderful way to share our worlds and experiences. And, raising funds to purchase art equipment so that students at MVC can express themselves creates a reciprocal culture of healing and belonging.
Being disconnected from much of our world during lockdown has left us with a blank canvas on which to draw new, stronger lines between our communities. I am incredibly grateful for the experiences and lessons I have gained from the Social Justice Programme at Queenwood; they have given me the confidence and compassion to get involved with, and start new connections at, my college. I sometimes think about the MVC students I met, and how different our lives are. I am appreciative of that little canvas I painted at MVC – an object that holds a lot of memories, and connections. This art fundraiser is an opportunity to give someone else the ability to express themselves through art – an equalising platform for healing, and bonding.
Alice is studying a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (International and Global Studies) at University of Sydney; she and some of her fellow students are in the initial stages of building a connection between Women’s College and Jarjum College in Redfern, where our Year 6 girls visited before lockdown. Jarjum College's mission is to educate urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are not participating or coping in mainstream education.
CLICK HERE to view the My Place Exhibition, Purchase Art and/or Donate to MVC.