20 October 2016
You can sponsor an SU-Schoolie – just like Lisa’s dozen
Posted in Camp life
Chaplain, Lisa Henderson, volunteered as an SU-Schoolies leader on the Sunshine Coast in 2015… and it blew her away.
“It didn’t matter who you were, or where you came from. There was just a sense that everyone is friends. They’re all celebrating being together and finishing school,” recalls Lisa.
When Lisa returned to Mabel Park State High School in Brisbane’s Logan district this year, she was keen to share her experience with her students.
Impressed with what they heard, 12 students are joining in this year.
“I went on Sunny Coast schoolies last year, for the first time, as a leader…
“It was absolutely phenomenal, and it was great to see young people making friends. It was the perfect environment. They were around people their own age and around young adults.
“They felt really free to ask questions, even if they were hard questions. I just knew that at our school, it was something the [students] here would really love to be able to do.”
Many of Lisa’s students were eager to join in the action-packed week of fun, but they lacked the money to go. Lisa was determined that this would not be an obstacle.
“Because we’re in a low socio-economic area, a lot of our young people here just don’t have that opportunity to go to SU-Schoolies.
“Many Logan young people don’t attend schoolies due to the cost, work and family commitments. Many of these senior students are paying for their own school fees, formal, and contributing to their family’s income.
“I just wanted to give them the opportunity and let them know that they can go.
“I said…‘if it’s something you want to do, then I’ll help you get there’… So they’re going to be helping man stalls [at a local festival] to raise money… It will go towards helping subsidise their Schoolies because $650 is a lot for many of them.”
Lisa is committed to helping these young people celebrate graduating in a safe, fun-filled environment.
“I have been able to subsidise $100 off the $650 registration fee and the students have matched it [with their fundraising].”
“I’ve told the students this is a memory maker. It’s something that you’ll remember fondly and you won’t regret it. You’ll start off conversations with, “I remember this one time at SU-Schoolies when…”.”
You can sponsor a young person to go on SU-Schoolies, just like Chappy Lisa, by visiting suqld.org.au/schoolies-gift.
