From Applied Philosophy teacher, Dominic Hearne
On 31 October 2017, Waverley College hosted a forum for young people with the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, to give young people from the local area the opportunity to have their say and learn about their rights and responsibilities regarding bullying, harassment and discrimination.
Dominic Hearne, Applied Philosophy teacher at Waverley College, explained, “Increasing awareness among young people of their rights is incredibly important, especially as they move out of school and into the community to become active in the workplace. The age bracket of 18-24 years actually tops the statistics for people experiencing bullying, harassment and discrimination.
“So we are hosting this forum, run by the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, to give young people an overview of their rights and responsibilities, and to empower them so they are treated fairly and can also help others in society to be treated well.
“Every young person has the right to be treated with fairness and respect, and to feel safe, happy and sense that they belong to a community.”
Members of the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW, including its newly appointed President, The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AO SC, retired Judge of the Federal Court of Australia, attended the forum and participated in an interactive discussion with students.
Students from Brigidine Randwick, St Pius X Chatswood and Rosebank College Five Dock joined Waverley College students in discussing bullying, discrimination and harassment and spoke of their personal experiences and their understanding of their rights.
Waverley College was pleased to host 120 students at the first school forum held by the NSW Anti Discrimination Board in over 10 years.