Zest for life
As young people across the country finish Grade 12, the focus of my reflection will be on our youth.
Our Australian youth are criticized far too often for being self-assuming and materialistic, frequently being labelled as ‘Godless’. The media seem to only ever tell the bad news. Over the past two days I have been privileged to work with staff and Student Ambassadors at the ACU National tent at the Gold Coast Schoolies festival. What an amazing experience - hundreds of school leavers celebrating the end of their studies and the new chapter of their lives. I am inspired by the passion and zest they have for life, by the way they look out for each other and their optimism for the future.
While the newspapers and news reports presented stories about the violence and under age drinking of Schoolies, hundreds of Schoolies participated in a Peace Walk along the beach with the World Youth Day Cross and Icon. Participation in this Peace Walk signifies the relevance of Social Justice to our youth and their support of the common good. It also reveals their aspiration to make a difference in our world and live out the messages of the Gospel.
We who are working at a University all play an important role in the shaping and developing of our youth. Let us not extinguish young people’s ‘zestfulness’; rather let us nurture it, celebrate it, love it and most importantly value it.
As the patron saint of youth, Saint John Bosco, stated:
“The youth must not only be loved, but know they are loved”.
- Shawn Walker,
- National Coordinator Student Recruitment,
- Brisbane
