That was the message from the 2018 Social Justice Week Workshop held last Saturday at St Thomas More Parish Church in Mt. Maunganui.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton facilitated the workshop to highlight the challenges faced by people with disabilities and to foster greater awareness and inclusion.

Imagine Better, an organisation which supports people with disabilities was also a key contributor to the workshop.

It was the first of five planned workshops.

The others will take place in Taupo, Hamilton, Palmerston North and Wellington during August.

They are part of the preparation or this year' s Social Just Week.

Each year the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand set aside a week in September for Social Justice Week, inviting New Zealanders to reflect and take action on a current social justice issue.

This year, the 9th to the 15th of September, Caritas Aotearoa New Zeland will focus on disability and participation.

It will ask people to respond to the question "How can we encourage more enabling communities, affirming that everyone has a part to play in our society?"

Further Workshops

• Saturday, August 11th, 10am-3pm at St Patrick's Catholic Church Hall, 88 Acacia Bay Rd, Nukuhau, Taupo.
• Sunday, August 12th, 11.30am-5pm, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Hall, 494 Grey St, Hamilton.
• Saturday, August 18th, 10 am - 3 pm, St Francis Xavier School Hall, 69 Main Rd, Tawa.
• Saturday, August 25th, The Palmerston North Diocesan Centre, 33 Amesbury St, Palmerston North.

Entry to the workshops is free, a koha would be appreciated, lunch is included, and all are welcome! NZSL interpreters will be available.

For further information click here

Source

• Supplied: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• caritas.org.nz
• Image: caritas.org.nz

They say they weren't consulted about the storyline which is described as reflecting outdated thinking and failing to represent an inclusive society.

Association spokesperson Kim Porthouse said the organisation has received calls from a number of families and people with Down syndrome who have been upset by the episodes.

She said people who are either going through this process right now, people with Down syndrome who watched the programme, parents of children with Down syndrome are finding this aggressive forceful reaction quite inappropriate and offensive.

Porthouse said the storyline "reinforces a lot of the prejudice that having a child with Down syndrome is a burden."

In the storyline, after learning a baby might have Down syndrome father Chris Warner suggested to mother, Zoe, that she abort the pregnancy

Several characters discuss Zoe's options with her.

Her Sister Kate advocates for Zoe making her own choices.

Finn, Warner's adult son also stresses the choice is hers and that she will have support no matter what options she chooses.

But he points out "there's thousands of stories out there, mums and dads who have been exactly where you are and they've kept their baby."

In a joint statement, TVNZ and South Pacific Pictures said they acknowledge the storyline addresses a sensitive topic but Shortland Street is known for tackling a range of challenging issues that New Zealanders face.

"The show's producers work closely with medical advisors to ensure health storylines are depicted with care in the context of a drama"

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: TVNZ Screenshot

In a proposed change to the parliamentary prayer, which is said at the beginning of each session of Parliament, mention of Jesus and the Queen have been removed.

Although the consultation period for the new prayer isn't over, the Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, has already started using the new wording.

Friday's Panel on RNZ reported that the while Catholics and Anglicans had no objection to the change, Baptists had expressed concern about it.

In an interview with the Jim Mora, Ian Hudson, director of the Salvation Army's Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit, said while he hadn't had time to have a "straw vote" on the matter, he thought many Salvationists would wish the name of Jesus Christ to continue to be included.

He said to do so recognises the "connections to our values and all the things that underpin parliament."

Hudson said they would hate to see the spiritual element taken away from Parliament.

Senior Labour MP Damien O'Connor, a Catholic, has cautioned against change.

"They have to be careful that we don't move too far from processes that have kept this place in good stead in an ethical, moral and principled way," he told Radio NZ's Morning Report.

His colleague Aupito William Sio, a Mormon, had an open mind: "In this day and age, I think there's a strong feeling of people wanting the prayer to be more inclusive, recognising that many of my colleagues do not acknowledge the existence of Jesus Christ."

Stuff has reported that a more extreme change - including the removal of religious references and adding more Maori references - had been proposed but was rejected.

Listen to the Panel discussion

Source

• Stuff
• New Zealand Herald
• RNZ
• Image Mark Mitchell /New Zeland Herald

The Making of a NZSL School follows Andre, who began as a new entrant at the school in 2016. The film shows his, his classmates', teachers' and the wider school community's journey in learning New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and incorporating it into the school curriculum.

Last year Theresa's School won an award for promoting New Zealand Sign Language.

The awards acknowledged the efforts of those committed to the promotion and the progress of sign language and deaf culture in New Zealand.

St Theresa's deputy principal and new entrant teacher Deborah Norris said the pupils had been really enthusiastic about learning the language.

Norris's class of 5-year-olds spent all day signing and had presented a school assembly entirely in sign.

The school's learning hub hosts sign language classes every Monday lunchtime and holds digital resources for pupils to access whenever they like.

In the documentary, Norris says roll time and prayers are always done in sign.

Her new entrant class began in term one learning three new words in sign each week and then progressed into full sentences.

By the time Andre is in year six, his classmates should be fully bilingual.

Darryl Alexander, NZSL specialist teacher and Van Asch's resource teacher of the deaf, is impressed by how everyone in the school community has embraced the language.

Alexander says all this effort means Andre is fully immersed in the school environment.

"It's like this school has made him feel he's at home."

Principal Donna McDonald, one of a few teachers who took night classes in NZSL, is proud that everyone has embraced Andre and NZSL.

"It has enriched our lives and it continues to," she says.

"Both Andre and NZSL are part of who we are and what we do here, and we'll continue to grow it in every way possible."

Source

• Stuff
• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

The church has created the mural along a temporary wall beside the walkway into its conference centre.

Its purpose is to make the access way, which is next to the NZ medical association building site, more pleasant. Continue reading