Over 300 students from 36 schools across the state attended the NSW Catholic Earthcare Youth Summit on 10 November. The event was hosted by Mount St Benedict College in Pennant Hills, attended by Bishop of Parramatta Vincent Long OFM Conv. 
 
Catholic Earthcare Australia, a program of Caritas Australia, collaborated with students at Mount Saint Benedict College, Saint Scholastica’s College, Glebe, Saint Mary Star of the Sea College, Wollongong and Stella Maris College, Manly to design and lead the one-day event, covering environmental advocacy on the personal, community and international level.   
 
Caritas Australia’s youth coordinator Sabrina Stevens said the focus of the day was to empower students to advocate for and take action on ecological justice and sustainability.
 
“This year, the theme is: ‘from little things, big things grow’, which reflects how the youth summit is created by students, for students, with a view to develop their capacity to advocate for the future they want to see.”   
 
“I’m excited to see so many young people who are invested in the future of our planet, and through these events Catholic Earthcare supports young people to take leadership and take action to care for creation. It’s really thrilling to see students respond to the call to care for our common home and put in the time and effort to build an event like this.”  
 
Families and parish and school representatives are all welcome to attend the Earthcare Families Zoom launch  where they will learn about the program, process and how to get involved.