Social Justice
Social justice is one of the core ways that members of the Daramalan family can live out the MSC Mission to “be on earth the heart of God”. The College engages in a wide variety of social justice activities ranging from fundraising to the physical collection of items, and to awareness activities.
The College has whole school focuses like Project Compassion, St. Vincent de Paul and MSC Missions. Each year the College holds a Charity Walk in which the funds raised are split between these three Catholic Charities. The money raised for St. Vincent de Paul, in particular, goes to funding a St. Nick’s camp for young people in the local area who are carers.
The College has a strong relationship with St. Vincent de Paul ACT, not only through the funds given to St. Nick’s but also through our commitment to the Night Patrol van. We make donations of sleeping bags, jackets, socks, beanies, gloves and even biscuits to this service but also staff a couple of shifts every month with staff and student volunteers. In addition, we also host an annual Sleepout in the Senior Quad to raise awareness about homelessness and its causes.
Additionally, we offer annual support to other charities that have a focus on ‘human dignity’ like Share the Dignity which supplies sanitary products to women in crisis and Operation Christmas Child which involves Pastoral Tutor groups putting together a shoe box with six items as a Christmas present for a child in a developing country.
Daramalan also has a very active social justice group that meets fortnightly. This group organises participation in a wide variety of activities, in recent years this has included things like a trivia night for mental health charities, an online escape room for MSC Missions, a coin weigh for Caritas’ Project Compassion, the Gift of Life Walk, the Brave Shave for cancer, Bandanna Day for Canteen, Christmas Hampers for Canberra City Cares, The March for Soldier On and Ice block sales for various occasional appeals like the Tonga Tsunami victims.
Each House at Daramalan College also has a Charity that they support. These are generally either local or they have a connection in some way to the House Patron.
Cuthbert – Sponsors two children, Lucky and Amos, through World Vision
Farrer – WIRES, a Wildlife rescue organisation
Goolagong – Community Spirit Foundation
Lawson – Communities at Work, who deliver a variety of services to the local community
Lyons – Marymead, a local provider of children and family services
Merrick – Australian Red Cross who supply aid relief and blood donation services
O’Brien – HOME in Queanbeyan, who provide supported accommodation for people with mental illness
Phillip – Karinya House, a local organisation that supports pregnant women in crisis
