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26 May 2023
Sami and Davina reflect on their time as ERI Youth Ambassadors as they complete their journey of study at the College this academic year. In their short time as ambassadors they have contributed so much to their local and global school community and the College is so thankful for all their drive, hard work and determination given.
Davina writes:
‘Being an Edmund Rice International Youth Ambassador is the greatest blessing and highest honour that has enabled me to give the humblest of service within my school community.
I strongly believe that every relationship is about giving and receiving. As St Paul asserted, ‘There is more joy in giving than in receiving’. This greatly resonates with why I wanted to become ERI Youth Ambassador for St Mary’s. I have always taken much pride in representing my school and most importantly sharing life values with others through collaboration and reaching out to each other.
As ERI Youth Ambassador, I have been presented with the greatest opportunity to; be a leader, a representative, put my faith into action and encourage unity in school and within the wider community. Undoubtedly, the position has provided me with a wealth of excellent opportunities that have enabled me to gain skills and knowledge for life and to also give back to the school community. Most importantly the sense of family, through which I have been able to forge new friendships, form a team, work as a team, guide those of a younger age, experience new things together and serve God. Being an ERI Youth Ambassador has facilitated my continuous growth into a true and upright citizen of our global village. To be a part of the Edmund Rice global community makes me feel proud, empowered, and connected.
Going forward, I would love to see; a spirit of advocacy, the principle of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’, inter-school activities and more whole school events which will witness upper school integration with younger years encouraging the development of leadership and harmony. I would love to see the continuation of our current schemes such as our annual Easter Egg collection, our all year-round Food Collection and 12 days of Christmas.
As Dr Sylvia Forchap-Likambi said, at the May 2022 student conference, there is great power in vision and the light it sheds, which leads us to our desired destination. We all come from different walks of life, we are all unique and it is important for us to realise, respect and nurture our individuality and our God given talents. We all have a responsibility as global citizens to share our good qualities for the betterment of all the communities we belong to and the world at large, thus fulfilling God’s dream and our dreams for humanity.
Most of all, Edmund Rice International has taught me to be a pioneer of positive change and to be the change we want to see in our world.’
Sami writes:
‘In my short time as part of the school’s ERI group, we have achieved so much! Examples include last year’s charity rugby match, 12 days of Christmas campaign, carol singing, and Christmas bake sales which raised over £1500 for CAFOD, and, we are still currently raising money for the Liverpool bereavement services through Jamie’s Crosby beach prints! By having clear goals in mind and setting specific targets for ourselves we were able to help those who needed it the most and that’s something we’re really proud of. I’ve enjoyed seeing more people getting involved, sharing ideas and being involved in any way they can! It’s been truly awesome to see what people can do when we have the right ideas in place and utilise our skills – also a big thanks to Mr Lee for his help in facilitating everything!
When I leave, I’d like to see ERI develop by getting even more people involved throughout the school, from year 7 all the way to upper sixth. So if you’re reading this and think you have some good ideas to share or even just single campaigns you think you could particularly contribute to, please speak to Mr Lee. No help is too little and I’ve seen how much of a difference our school community can make. I believe ERI at St Mary’s has the potential to just keep growing and I can’t wait to hear how it develops in the years to come. It’s been an absolute pleasure being the ambassador this past year, and good luck to everyone with their future campaigns!’
Calling all members of our SMC community, if you are inspired by Sami and Davina then come and join our ERI group in school, see Mr Lee for more details!