Schools Engagement Co-ordinator Paola Rojas is looking forwarding to building relationships with Uniting Church-aligned schools this year.
By Paola Rojas
As we embark on a new year, I’m excited about the opportunities to strengthen relationships and plan initiatives to inspire an emerging generation of young leaders within the network of UCA-associated schools.
In the past year, we ran an online survey and engaged in conversations with school principals and chaplains, gaining a deeper understanding of their needs and aspirations to foster this network.
Based on those insights, we have designed a series of inter-school events designed to bring together students from across our network.
These events will focus on critical topics such as leadership, social justice and sustainability, which align with the core principles of the Uniting Church in Australia, as outlined in the ‘Characteristics handbook’, a document outlining common characteristics of the Uniting Church that have resonance in associated schools.
Our goal with these gatherings is to cultivate a vibrant community where students from different backgrounds can reflect, connect and be inspired by meaningful conversations.
We are also working collaboratively with internal eLM teams like Younger Generations and the Justice and International Mission Cluster, and wider Church partners such as Uniting Vic.Tas and external parties like Melbourne University, to design engaging and interactive workshops.
On March 13, we will hold the first inter-school event of the year: ‘Agency and Empowerment: Leading at and beyond school’.
This initiative directly aligns with our third characteristic from the handbook, ‘Celebrating equality and value of all people’.
The event will encourage students to think critically and nurture their leadership, agency, and empowerment, with a focus on integrity and how it shapes their leadership journey.
Beyond the inter-school events, our relationships and connections workstream is organising a variety of initiatives to engage school chaplains, staff, and principals.
These initiatives will foster a sense of community and provide opportunities for ongoing collaboration.
As Schools Engagement Co-ordinator, my goal is to build bridges between schools and the rest of the Church.
By fostering an empowering community, we can help students grow into the leaders of tomorrow and engage meaningfully with the world around them.
To ensure our programs are effective and impactful, we will work closely with schools to gather student feedback and continually adapt our initiatives accordingly.
We are also envisioning opportunities for active student participation, such as co-designing the event structures or sharing their own projects.
I am excited to see what this year holds and the positive impact we can make together.
Paola Rojas is Schools Engagement Co-ordinator with equipping Leadership for Mission
