St Mary’s College

The ERI group has had a very active start to the year, continuing its mission to promote justice, advocacy, and solidarity within our community.

We were delighted to welcome back Mischa Barton, last year’s Youth Ambassador, who delivered a powerful talk about her summer internship with The Justice Desk in South Africa. Mischa spoke passionately about the experience, describing it as “life-changing”. It was wonderful to see how much she had grown in confidence and conviction through her time there. Her reflections on working with communities fighting for human rights and equality left a deep impression on our students. Mischa’s journey has already inspired several of our current Sixth Formers to explore the possibility of taking part in their own immersion experiences next summer.

We are also thrilled to introduce our new Year 12 ERI members, who have shown great enthusiasm from the outset. Their work so far has been advocacy-focused, and they have already taken some bold steps:

• They recently wrote to the local council to call for the removal of the Union Jack flags placed on lampposts around the school, which they feel are divisive and inconsistent with the college’s commitment to inclusivity and its support for Asylum Link Merseyside.
• They have contacted our local MP, seeking answers about what actions are being taken to address the growing hostility faced by migrants in our local area.
• They have formed a partnership with our local Ukrainian centre whereby the help out weekly in the community run café there and sort donations that are then sent as aid to Ukraine. We are so proud of this new initiative they themselves set up.
• They have also launched a campaign supporting The Whitechapel Centre, raising awareness of the vital work being done to help Liverpool’s homeless community. This campaign reaches out not just to pupils, but also to staff and parents, encouraging wider engagement and compassion.

As the festive season approaches, the college’s ERI team is gearing up for a busy period of fundraising and charity initiatives, continuing to put faith into action and uphold the Edmund Rice tradition of standing in solidarity with the marginalised.