The HEROES Program in Term 1

Term 1 at The Group was all about HEROES, a beautiful inquiry into what it means to be a HERO - someone who steps up in the face of hardship, someone who beats the odds, someone who lets what they believe in guide them…not their fear or their ego. We looked at both the big international heroes like Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, as well as the local heroes living right here on the Mornington Peninsula. We learned about the huge difference some local heroes are making in the community. First up was Aunty Helen Bnads, an amazing Aboriginal Elder and Community Leader, who has worked with the government to reunite the Stolen Generation children with their families, both in person and graveside. She has dedicated her life to making a difference to indigenous Australians. Later in the term we met Steph Hill who was named 2017 Mornington Peninsula Young Citizen of the Year. Steph’s work with Fusion and homeless youth is so inspiring. She created and runs the annual SLEEP IN YOUR CAR fundraiser which raises awareness and funds to support our homeless youth in this country. She’s a brilliant role model for our kids…a young person making a huge difference in the world. Finally, one of our members of the Teen Group brought her amazing father along to share his chilling and truly heroic story of survival in Tibet. I was so excited to have the kids start to realise that all of these heroes are just normal everyday people who stand out because they choose to chase what they believe.