Images: St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace students take part in the Socktober shootout event. 

St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace Religious Education leader, Monica Keating, who has lived and worked in some of the poorest communities in the world, has seen the positive impact of outreach programs. 

“I've been a volunteer in Vietnam and twice in Thailand, working with refugees in a school, so I've seen shocking poverty, and I know that the little bit of support we can give is certainly very worthwhile,” said Monica.

Monica says Socktober, a national primary and secondary school community engagement program run by Catholic Mission, has equipped her to involve the heads, hearts, and hands of her students who haven't yet shared her experience.

“I said to our students, ‘Children your age in a third world country can't go and buy a soccer ball; they haven't got the money. So, we're going to make our own here and experience that reality’."

“We used totally recycled material and made our own ‘sockballs’. It was a fun activity," she said. "The boys loved it and we raised money and we helped others who are less fortunate - I thought it was amazing."

Creating a “sockball” is one of the first goals of the Socktober Challenge, which kicks off around Australia on September 6.

It is a program that lays a platform for Australian students to learn the reality of children in situations of need and take action to make a positive difference in their lives. 

The challenge consists of six Mission Packs which are modules filled with activities, reflections, and "goals to kick" that can be integrated into classroom or home-based learning at any pace.

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