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It can be difficult to comprehend how homelessness can exist in a wealthy country like Australia, especially for young minds. In 2023, a team across Sacred Heart Mission brought together their expertise to build a program that opens the conversation about homelessness and deep disadvantage with students.
The result is the Social Justice Hub, an educational platform that builds student engagement and understanding of critical social issues like disadvantage, poverty and homelessness.
“We wanted to make the most of our existing relationships with Star of the Sea College, St Michael’s Grammar School, and Wesley College, and co-design something with their students which would be meaningful, educational and have a lasting impact for any school groups wishing to engage,” says Wade Piva, Engagement & Development Director at Sacred Heart Mission.
“We want to help to grow our community of supporters and develop future leaders, advocates and employees who will shape our sector and work towards one day putting an end to the poverty and disadvantage that is prevalent on our very own doorstep.”
The challenge with building an educational platform for schools was ensuring that it would be engaging to students who are digital natives. Co-design, collaboration and guidance from students has been an essential part of the process.
The Social Justice Hub’s lesson structure was conceived by students, and students were heavily involved in the design process. Our web developers, Straight Out Digital, hosted discovery sessions with students and teachers, where they could share their expertise on look, feel and function of the proposed Social Justice Hub.
The result? An inspiring educational platform designed for and by students.
Educators use the pre-designed modules and activities in the classroom to guide and inspire students, saving time and effort. The Social Justice Hub comes with a full suite of teacher resources, including modules, lesson plans and classroom activities.
The modules, developed by Sacred Heart Mission staff, cover a range of topics from “what is homelessness” to the impacts of domestic and family violence.
The modules and activities are designed to immerse students into real life situations and include videos from Sacred Heart Mission support workers and participants who share their stories and their lived experience.
In late 2024, the Social Justice Hub was soft launched to our partner schools , Star of the Sea College, St Michael’s Grammar School and Wesley College. The pilot received glowing feedback. The team moved into phase two which included bringing more interactive features to the platform, doubling the number of modules and implementing a fundraising planning page.
In phase two the Social Justice Hub extended its school partnerships to include Government schools, Strathmore Secondary College and Brighton Secondary College, who look forward to working through the modules in 2025.
Sacred Heart Mission hopes that the Social Justice Hub will not only educate students on the topic of disadvantage but equip them with the tools and confidence to be positive change makers within their communities and empower them as future leaders.
On April 28, the Social Justice Hub officially launched and is open to welcoming new schools throughout 2025.
Want to learn more? Reach out to our Community Fundraising Officer, Jade Rockliff.
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