News Round-up - Thursday 27 July 2023

Pilgrims from across Australia arrive for World Youth Day
Australian dioceses have held special Masses to farewell their young people travelling to Lisbon for the International World Youth Day (WYD). 
Though called a ‘Day’, the event is nearly a week long, beginning on 1 August and finishing with a closing Mass with Pope Francis on Sunday, 6 August. 
At St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth earlier this month, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB blessed and commissioned more than 200 WYD delegates from Perth and Bunbury. Read more.
In welcoming almost 600 pilgrims and their families to St Patrick’s Cathedral Melbourne, Archbishop Peter Comensoli said it was an opportunity for the local Church of Melbourne to gather in ‘the mother church’ before travelling to Lisbon.
Read more. 
In Brisbane, The Cathedral of St Stephen was packed with young people, their families and parishioners as Archbishop Mark Coleridge blessed and commissioned 120 pilgrims. Read more. 
The scene was repeated across the country as excited young Catholics and their travel companions prepared for what will be the trip of a lifetime for some and an important faith journey for all. 
Meanwhile, Pope Francis looked forward to World Youth Day, as the Church marked the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, 23 July. 

‘May the proximity of the two World Days offer us an invitation to promote a much-needed covenant between generations, because the future is built together, as we share experiences and as young people and the elderly care for each other,’ he said.
Read more. 
 
Victorian Catholic school students speak out
Students from Victorian secondary schools presented their ideas about diversity and inclusion at the inaugural Victorian Youth Summit at the University of Melbourne last week.
A key focus of the summit was around ‘student voice’. Four Catholic schools were involved in the day:
·  Sacré Coeur (Independent Catholic): Made a presentation about being inclusive to all people. The school is becoming more culturally diverse; however, it has limited exposure to First Nations peoples and would like to make a more culturally safe environment for all cultures and to increase knowledge of First Nations peoples.
·  Kolbe Catholic College: Presented its thoughts on how language can be a barrier to connectedness for refugees.
·  John Paul College: Spoke about the ‘Hear Our Voice’ initiative to raise awareness of different faiths and cultures and have constructive dialogue between followers of different religions.
·  Star of the Sea College, Brighton: Presented on the importance of intergenerational connections and their role in promoting better mental health for both teenagers and individuals in aged care. They suggested that fostering diverse connections can have a profound impact on the well-being of these groups.
Members of Parliament, community and religious leaders gathered to watch presentations on ‘Diversity and Connection’. The summit organised by Together for Humanity (TFH), a non-for-profit that works with schools to combat prejudice and advance belonging and inclusion.
 
Women still shouldering childcare burden
Necessary care demands are still a female burden reveals research comparing childcare policy responses from the Australian and Canadian governments during the height of the COVID pandemic.
Kay Cook is the associate dean of research in the School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology.
Prof Cook said the Early Childhood Education and Care systems revealed deep-seated gendered biases and inequity during the pandemic, with research confirming that the problem goes deeper than who and what should be subsidised. 
‘During the pandemic, it was women who were more likely than men to lose their jobs because they were already over presented in part-time and precarious employment due to their care commitments. Women with young children who kept their jobs had to juggle work and childcare from home.
‘The notion of a work-life balance was thrown into chaos because it was never balanced. It cannot be, when ‘work’ refers to paid work in the public and ‘life’ is about undervalued caring responsibilities that everything else relies on’.
Read the research here. 
 
What’s On:
Teachers and Educators Education Series – Leading a Neurodiverse Classroom: This evidence-based course from the ADHD Foundation will focus proactive, proven and effective strategies to support neurodiverse learners in the classroom. The conditions discussed will include ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. The facilitator is Arron Hutchinson who is the Education Training Director at ADHD Foundation, which is a Neurodiversity Charity in the UK.
Date and Time: Wed, 16 Aug 2023, 4-5.30pm AEST
Book here. 
 
Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee: Students from Years 3-8 can be registered by their teachers to take part in the online national competition. Register here.