Feature
The time for action is now Simon Carver Carey Pride and Gender Equity Group teacher liaison
‘Student agency is about acting rather than being acted upon; shaping rather than being shaped; and making responsible decisions and choices rather than accepting those determined by others.’ (OECD, 2020) At Carey, we celebrate individuals who are trying to change the world in a positive way. Our students understand that change commences with conversation and culminates in action. The passion of our students to have these conversations, take action and drive change has led to the establishment of several student-led groups: the Environmental Group, the Gender Equity Group, the Pride Group, and the Social Justice Action Group. Some of these have been around for several years, but in 2020, they are now united under the banner of the Carey Student Community Groups. The thread that connects the four groups is the belief in student autonomy as the critical ingredient for an experience to markedly advance learning. Student voice and agency are intrinsically linked, and the unity of the Carey Student Community Groups allows them to express their diverse voices while advocating boldly for individuals to be heard. All groups share the aim to: ‘Act rather than be acted upon; shape rather than be shaped and make responsible decisions and choices rather than accepting those determined by others.’ While there has been so much that has been unexpected this year, one constant at Carey throughout the COVID-19 12 | Torch
pandemic has been the drive from the student body to use their position of privilege to empower others. In order to continue their important work, even despite the challenges of lockdowns, a robust online platform was created for developing ideas, sharing resources and providing a safe space for students to work together to create change. Our students never stopped working on creating positive change for our world.
Environmental Group Carey is committed to achieving a more sustainable future. The School’s environmental focus is evidenced through the environmental awareness woven into the curriculum and myriad projects, ranging from emphasising the use of appropriate bins to the deliberate acquisition of products from companies that practise fair trade and discussions leading to more solar panels at the School and within our community. These are opportunities for the student Environmental Group to have a say in shaping future directions. The Carey Student Community Groups webpage has given the students a platform to contact other environmental groups, access donation pages and engage in discussions about what we can do to be more sustainable. The role of the Environmental Group is to continue to raise awareness of the world beyond Kew and assist in the exploration of pathways towards action.
Gender Equity Group Gender-based injustices are a battle that have been fought throughout
history and, unfortunately, are still prevalent in today’s society. Whether it is debate over pay disparity or equal representation in leadership and on boards, our students continue to live in a society that is not always modelling equality. Carey maintains an even student gender balance, and the school leadership team of 10 staff is also gender balanced. However, such statistics are rare, and our students know that inequalities remain explicit in our wider society to the point where they are normalised. The aim of the Gender Equity group is to question the status quo to create an inclusive culture within and beyond the classroom. An example of the work this group will contribute towards is the development of our sports complexes in Bulleen and Kew, addressing how these facilities can be structured to enable genuine equality in both the accessibility and priority for
