Chartered in April 2022, the EarlyAct Club of Forrest Primary School, ACT, has wasted no time in ‘doing good’ in the community.
The club’s first event, Big Action Week, was held in July and certainly lived up to its name. Showcasing ‘Diversity in Action’ throughout the week through music, language, art, sport and food, each day also highlighted specific social concerns including the environment, mental health, the war in Ukraine and this year’s floods.
A total of $2,295 was raised for the benefit of not-for-profit organisations including the Gotcha4Life Foundation, Fearless Women, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Red Cross and Rotary’s National Flood Appeal.
“Bearing in mind that these students are no more than 12 and that EarlyAct is new, this is a brilliant effort,” D9705 Interact and EarlyAct District Chair Gail Freeman said.
In August, a group of four students representing the EarlyAct Club of Forrest Primary School attended the ACT Branch of the Order of Australia Association’s Student Citizenship Awards, where they were awarded the Association’s Group Award for Outstanding Community Service. The annual awards recognise school students and school groups for voluntary community service and the demonstration of good citizenship.
During his speech at the presentation of the award, Vice-president Samuel Nicol said that participating in EarlyAct had been inspiring.
“EarlyAct has given us all the opportunity to take action and do something about the world’s problems. We are grateful to try and make a difference, even if the part we play is small,” Samuel said.
“The club keeps a working board of ideas that members might want to explore. We choose something of interest then research it further. Action can include advocacy, social justice and lifestyle choices. We hope to improve our whole community’s awareness of the issues we explore.”
On a personal note, five years spent living in Vanuatu with his family gave Samuel a great appreciation of just how fortunate we are here in Australia.
“The economy of Vanuatu is developing and is much smaller than Australia’s. With my family we did many adventures there and I witnessed first-hand how people live without the benefit of a wealthy country and a good home. Of course, my friends in Vanuatu were very happy, but it did show me that we are a lucky country. It also taught me that helping other people, sharing, and showing that we care about others is the right thing to do. I feel that should be a natural part of being an Australian.
“EarlyAct therefore gave me and my peers an opportunity to make a difference.”
Gail said that the speech was well received.
“It is testament to the calibre of these 12-year-old students.”
A second presentation was held on September 8, when all EarlyAct students received a certificate.
