Mercy girls look to make a difference

Sydney
24 March 2002

‘Little Flower’ is almost here

Vinnies: Scrap penalties!

Family planning a viable choice

Premier ‘confuses issue’ on embryos

Fr Denis Madigan dies

Quilted testimony to a century of worship

Ecumenical Way of the Cross

CHOGM urged: Ease debt of poorer countries and save lives

You can sponsor a young seminarian

Carnivale Christi – festival returns

Marathon man

Workers have the right to a just wage, hearing told

Archbishop consults students on Pentecost speech

Wife, then widow – a mother called Sister

Play aids refugee centre

Caritas warns of poverty in Europe

Editorial: Inspiring Little Way

Letters: ... bossy ushers in flash uniforms

Conversation: All are called to God’s work - Sr Mary Ryan, RSJ, vocations ministry executive officer

Mixed feelings on relics

Mercy girls look to make a difference

Education: Choose career in science, students told

Art, dance, design, drama – HSC talent on display

Inspirations: Close encounter of a preferred kind

Mercy girls look to make a difference

Students model Australian Defence Apparel uniforms

The students of Monte Sant’ Angelo College are learning how their hip pockets can make a difference. It’s all part of the school’s social justice focus. Chris Hook reports

Hundreds of assembled schoolgirls let fly with a deafening cheer when television personality Jeannie Little took a microphone and prepared to compere a lunch-time fashion parade at Monte Sant’ Angelo, North Sydney.

Ms Little – well known for her outrageous fashion sense – had been invited along especially for the occasion.

But those who organised and starred in the parade weren’t wannabe models, fashion designers or choreographers. They were members of the school’s Mercy Action Group alerting their peers to the Fair Wear campaign to gain just working conditions for clothing outworkers.

After several years of widespread publicity and public action, including support from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, many clothing retailers have signed a code of practice.

But only four have been accredited and bear the No Sweat Shop label, which ensures monitoring and guarantees fair wages for outworkers. They are Qualitops and Poppets (makers of Beare & Ley school uniforms), Resort Report, and Australian Defence Apparel.

Monte is currently working to ensure its school uniform suppliers bear the No Sweat Shop label.

But members of Mercy Action Group want their school friends to use their buying power in a similar way by asking retailers to join the accreditation process.

About 20 members of the group took to the catwalk – or, at least, quadrangle stairs – to display a range of clothing – many from companies who had signed the code of practice.

Following the parade, the models leapt into the lunchtime crowd to hand out information on Fair Wear.

There are around 60 members of the Mercy Action Group, up from barely four when the group was founded in 1996.

Members range from year 7–12. Current captain of the group, Jessica Farrell, joined in year 8 with her friend, school captain Sarah Steele. Both were a bit nervous.

“They always said ‘bring a friend’; so I did,” Sarah recalled.

Jessica said: “I was a bit quiet at first, but I thought their motives were really good and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Now every home room has an action group representative. This has encouraged younger students to become involved, she said.

Fair Wear has been one of the group’s on-going campaigns, but there are others.

Recently the group hosted a ‘refugee breakfast’ at the school which saw 150 students, parents and others arrive for a 7am break

fast with high-profile guest speakers including Eileen Pittaway, of the University of NSW Centre for Refugee Research, Sr Margaret Moore, of theMercy Refugee Service, and Community Services Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald.

And this month’s Inter national Women’s Day celebrations saw 200 students, parents, teachers and friends turn out for talks given by several inspirational women, including newsreader Jessica Rowe.

The Religious Education co-ordinator, Sr Carmel McDonaugh, said: “We consider it a priority that students are informed about issues concerning the community.”

She said she would discuss the school’s social justice focus during open days held for the parents of prospective students. For many, these concerns really mattered.

Monte Sant’ Angelo also has a strong Amnesty group and an Australia-Asia group devoted to cross-cultural tolerance, Sr Carmel added.

The Mercy Action Group has also extended beyond the school yard with the formation of MAGNET, a

network for former members of the group after they leave the school.

Judging by the cheers, laughter and interest in materials at the fashion parade’s conclusion – rounded off with a lap of honour by Ms Little herself – the sentiment hit the mark.

The Mercy Action Group knows its audience well.

According to the action group supervisor, Kate Ford, the idea came from the girls themselves.

“It’s a good group,” she said. “They’re really enthusiastic.

“This is one of the highlights of teaching at this school.”

Ms Ford said the Mercy Action Group had a good reputation and the school had helped build it up.