Remar seeks to form Christian leaders who are prepared to stand in solidarity with those experiencing disadvantage and injustice, and who are motivated to take action. To this end, 24 Year 11 Remar Blue Rowers (students) embarked on a week-long Solidarity Camp. As one student explains: “Solidarity is about walking with others through both the easy and hard times. It’s not about telling people how to fix issues, it’s simply about being present. Solidarity is a great representation of living as Christ’s disciples, by being the hands and feet of Christ”.
The camp ran from Wednesday 22 September to Tuesday 28 September in Mullewa, Western Australia, a small farming town 470km North-East of Perth. After spending the previous month preparing for the camp and learning about solidarity, the students lived and worked alongside the community of Mullewa. The students had a packed itinerary that involved various services to the Mullewa community including helping to host their annual Agriculture and Wildflower Shows, which involved setting up, helping to run and packing down each of the shows; cleaning the pioneer cemetery, working and playing with the students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Primary School and hosting their school disco. A small group of students also spent a day out in the community of Yalgoo, helping the local primary school (with a total of 19 students) practice and prepare for their Athletics Carnival held in Mount Magnet this month.
The Rowers slept on the floor of the school, cooked their own meals and worked as a group to provide service to the community all of which helped to deepen their experience of communal living and form deeper relationships with each other. Living in this way also helped the Rowers to explore issues of social justice that can be found in many areas across Australia. Ultimately, the camp was successful in helping the Rowers understand solidarity through lived experience and helping them to realise that they have the capacity to be the ‘hands and feet of Christ’.
A huge thank you goes out to Mr Michael Van Der Heever (Blue Helm), Mr Nathan Wear and Mr Roger O’Neill for accompany our students on this special journey. Thanks also to Mr Stephen Arnold for helping the Rowers to make a cross for the Pioneer Cemetery. Finally, we thank Mrs Jill Hollands (Principal of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Mullewa), Mr Phillip Joseph (Principal of Yalgoo Primary) and the Mullewa community for their hospitality and hosting our students during their time away.
Please click here to view a video with some of the highlights from the camp.
Clare Cole, Leader of Youth Ministry and Advocacy
Student Reflections
“Living day to day with the caravel made us realise how lucky we are to have all these people that truly care about us”.
“We realised that there are some disadvantaged communities in Australia. Some of the kids back stories would normally shock people. It made us realise our issues can be over exaggerated”.
“Through service and reflecting after each day, we have been motivated to thank God for what we have”. (reflection from the caravel). “We have realised there is nothing stopping us from making a difference”.
