One year in the Lavalla200> community of Mount Druitt!
We share below the testimony of Ruben Galego and Silvia Martinez, a couple from the Province of Compostela, who have been living in the LaValla200> International Community in Mount Druitt, Australia for a year. Joining them are Kimberly Camiring and Br Lawrie McCane. They live in an outer suburb of Sydney, regarded as among the most socially disadvantaged in Australia. Its main ministry is to support the operation of the Marist Learning Zone, a joint project of the Marists and Catholic Education. Their aim is to re-integrate students who are currently not attending school.
If you are interested in taking part in an International and Intercultural Communities, you may contact the Brother Provincial or District Superior, or the Superior General directly, introducing yourself and explaining your motivation and desire to commit yourself to one of the Institute’s Projects or initiatives. It is possible to contact CMI, in case of doubts, using the following e-mail address: [email protected]
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Time seems to pass so quickly when you are enjoying things. Last February it was one year since we arrived in Australia to join the Lavalla200> community in Mount Druitt. A project that had been delayed due to the pandemic.
Now fully immersed in this experience, we see our beginnings here from a different perspective. Adapting to a country different from our own and to a project with a different way of working is always difficult, although now it seems easier. Helping students with learning difficulties or who miss a lot of school for various reasons is motivating and, at the same time, challenging. This year we have tried to do our best to make it easier for them to return to school in the most satisfactory way. The language has made this difficult at times, but we have always tried to get the job done and to collaborate in the different activities or projects.
The course at Marist Learning Zone has its ups and downs, with more or less students, as the numbers vary throughout the year, not all students are with us for the whole school year, it depends on each case. We are like the bridge that makes it easier for them to integrate back into the school. A few days ago a student from last year came to visit us to tell us how happy she was in her new school. This is very gratifying and reinforces our work here.
We appreciate the fact that we have been able to get to know the Aboriginal community of the Baabayn centre and their history. We are very grateful to them for giving us the possibility to know more about their past and present, as well as to be part of the initiatives they carry out such as the “Homework Club” on Tuesday afternoons, in which we help young children to revise or reinforce what they have learnt at school as we told you some time ago (although there is always a little room for some games), the “Youth Group” on Thursday afternoons, also in the afternoon, which we have been going to since the middle of last year and any other activity they do in which we can be of help. In this Thursday group we spend 3 hours doing various fun activities with a few young people. We try to encourage them to belong to the community and to transmit the aboriginal culture to them.
On the other hand, community life has changed from when we arrived, as Brother Fabricio went back to Brazil at the end of his 3-year commitment to the project and now we have Kim, a teacher from the Philippines, who arrived in mid-January to join us.
It was a very pleasant surprise to know that we were going to have another person in the community, as we had not counted on it. She has adapted very well and in this time we have done a lot of things together to get to know each other better. We really enjoy the moments in community, whether it’s simply getting together around the same table to chat, have dinner… or visiting the city or the mountains. It is always enriching to share moments, experiences, culture, … to know little things about the life and countries of others.
From August to November Brother Lawrie went to Europe to do his “Third Age program”. A time he enjoyed very much and which he shared with us by sending us photos and commenting on what he was doing almost every day, we here missed him at home and we were looking forward to his return. We were worried that it might be a time when he would think about remaining part of our community and take another direction in his life as a Marist Brother, but he is passionate about this project, he loves it and feels privileged to live in such a community.
We will soon be going to Spain to be able to see our family and friends again, something we are looking forward to with great joy. It will also be a time to share all our experiences being part of an intercultural community Lavalla200>.