WelCom September 2022
Child Safeguarding Week, 4–10 September, is held annually in Aotearoa New Zealand to raise awareness of child abuse prevention wherever children are – at home, the community, places they go. Organised by Safeguarding Children – Tiakina ngā tamariki, the objective is to raise the profile of issues connected with child abuse prevention and child protection. This year Safeguarding Children are celebrating 11 years in existence, having trained over 33,000 of the workforce in child protection. Safeguarding Children has organised a petition to change the Children’s Act (2014) to ensure better protection for children. Go to childsafeguardingweek.org.nz for information.
‘Please consider signing the petition,’ says Catherine Jones smsm, Safeguarding Adviser, Archdiocese of Wellington. ‘It is endorsed by the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, of which the Catholic Church is a member. Let us unite prayer and action for the safeguarding of our children and vulnerable adults.’
Worm juice fundraiser for country school
Last year, Years 5 and 6 students of Room 5 at St Joseph’s School in Taihape began learning all about worms from a visiting expert. In his final lesson the expert brought Tiger worms and containers for the students to create their own portable worm farms to take home.
Hīkoi of learning to Far North traces early Marist’s footsteps
Members of Te Āhi Kā o Mātaruranga – a young Catholic adult community from Palmerston North – went on a hīkoi to the Far North late last year to trace the origins of faith mission in this country, through the work of early Marists.
Students awarded Suzanne Aubert tertiary scholarships
Three students have been awarded the Suzanne Aubert Tertiary Scholarship to help them complete their studies in 2023.