This year started off great with many activities and programs available for students to learn about Vinnies and put their faith into action by being true Vincentians!

On the 28^th May, the Broken Bay Diocese ran an event called ‘Shine Youth Ministry Conference’ for 350 high school students from Catholic schools across the Broken Bay Diocese. This event assists students to explore their faith journey and understand what servant leadership is. For the first time since this event has been run, Michelle Chahine, the new Broken Bay Central Council President, secured a spot for Vinnies to attend and run workshops!

Fiona Pelosi and Roydon Ng, the Metropolitan Schools Engagement Officers for Broken Bay and Parramatta respectively, represented Vinnies on the day. They ran a stall during the breaks and had over 60 high school students attend their workshops on how they can put their faith into action through Vinnies (the 2^nd biggest workshop run on the day). The students enjoyed the experience of learning about the different Vinnies Services and discussed in groups a social justice issue and how they could address it to their school community and shared it with the rest of the groups. Three Youth Members from the Asquith Youth Conference also spoke to the students about their faith and how they make a difference through Vincentian service. The students left with a better understanding and were inspired to help, whether it was through donating their old clothes or buying groceries to be donated to the Winter Appeal.

The event ended with a Q&A with Bishop Anthony Randazzo and a performance from Father Rob Galea, inspiring students that faith should guide their decisions as Jesus is always present in their lives. Special thanks to everyone involved in making the event run and our Youth members. Vinnies hopes to make a recurring appearance at this event and continue to inspire students to live out their faith and volunteer to help those who need it the most.

May God continue to bless every student and all they do to support Vinnies 😊