On the last day of school for term 3 Damascus College Year 12 student Xavier Clonan was awarded first prize for his “I Have a Dream” speech in the senior category.

Xavier took learnings from his RE classes to help with his winning speech.

Xavier wrote..

I have a dream that one day poverty will be abolished. It is our moral obligation to care for the poor, no one should have to live in poverty.

It is necessary that we provide the basics of life for everyone, and we need to do it now. Pope Francis has said, "No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world. On an Earth where there is so much wealth, so many resources to build a better future, it is unacceptable that nearly three billion people live in abject poverty."

It prompts us to consider what we as individuals can do to make an impact on almost half the world’s population who live on below $2.50 AUD a day (World Bank). Professor of sociology Peter Singer has said, "If we can save the life of a child by giving up a luxury item, then isn't it our moral obligation to do so?" It seems that in the indulgence that our own lives are in comparison to those in poverty, that what we might spend on an item of clothing that will be thrown up the back of your cupboard or on an unused Netflix subscription would make a massive impact on a suffering family’s life.

We can no longer close our eyes to the poverty that exists in our world. We need to take action now to provide the basic necessities of life for everyone. We need to provide food, shelter, and clothing for the poor. We need to provide access to education and healthcare. We need to do whatever it takes to end poverty. One day I hope that I won't need to close my eyes to dream. One day I hope that poverty will be a thing of the past. But until that day, we need to keep fighting for the poor. We need to keep fighting for a world where everyone has the basic necessities of life. We need to keep fighting until poverty is no more.

Congratulations Xavier, what a wonderful speech with a very powerful message. Xavier’s speech will also be included in the 2022 Yearbook. He also received a gift certificate for Collin’s Booksellers.