A group of Sunshine Coast students are set to run through the night, to raise much-needed funds and awareness for people who have experienced domestic and family violence.
The 16 Year 10 students and four staff members from St Teresa’s Catholic College will join a host of other participants in the Darkness to Daylight event in Brisbane on May 30 and 31, during Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.
They will run from 6.30pm until 6.30am and the event is expected to raise more than $40,000 for Challenge DV, a social enterprise that partners with Australian businesses to educate, advocate for and empower people to end domestic and family violence.
It’s the seventh year the school has been involved in the event, after the school’s ultramarathon-running business manager Mark Robertson was moved by the experiences he heard when he took part 2016.
“I went down to Brisbane with my wife and I was just so moved by it,” he said.
“Three grandmothers spoke at the vigil about the loss of their daughters, and their grandchildren had lost their mums at the hands of domestic violence.
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“It really affected me, because I just can’t stand unkindness and harm, and so I ran all night and I went through a lot of misery and a lot of pain, but all night I just kept reflecting on these three women.
“And I just kept thinking, I’ve got absolutely no right to feel miserable for myself after what they’ve been through.”
It’s not just about the all-night run for these students.
The group of students, chosen through a careful application process, meet regularly to train and talk about healthy relationships and how they can help others.
Two student captains are selected to run the program, with support from St Teresa’s staff.
“We undertake random acts of kindness, so this group has set us 12 random acts of kindness a week, and we all go and do that,” Mr Robertson said.
“And with 20 of us doing it, there’s over 200 random acts of kindness happening just from our little community every week, which is really nice – on the basis that we wouldn’t need to have this discussion (about domestic and family violence) if we were all kind to each other.”
Each of the students has also been paired with a survivor of domestic and family violence, known only by their first name, which helps the project feel more personal.
“That’s their person for the 12 weeks, including the run,” Mr Robertson said.
“So, every time we meet, we ask, ‘Who are you running for? Tell me about her.'”
Mr Robertson said the effect that participating has on the students can be profound in the short term, and even life-changing in the longer term.
“Immediately after they’re shattered, but they are so delighted with themselves that they’ve achieved it,” he said, adding that when he runs into students who were with him in the first couple of years, they still speak proudly of their achievements.
“They’re about 21 or 22 years of age now, and they’ve turned into absolutely amazing humans.
“If I see them, they’ll all mention, ‘Oh, sir, I still remember that night we did the run,’ or, ‘I still remember something about the program.’
“And some have even moved into this field in their professional lives.”
Challenge DV workplace programs manager Sian Fullerton said the participation of students from St Teresa’s and other schools from around South-East Queensland was incredibly important.
“It’s so important to be learning about what healthy relationships do and don’t look like from an early age, because this is when young people are starting to get into relationships and learn how they want to be treated and what they expect from a partner,” she said.
“And the fact that these teenagers are giving up their free time to make a contribution and help others is also really inspiring.
“We’re grateful to Mark and St Teresa’s for helping us to raise much-needed funds so we can continue to run our workplace and community programs, so we can educate, advocate and empower people to end domestic and family violence.”
Darkness to Daylight will be held at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. People can also take part in a virtual run from anywhere in Australia during May.
Visit Challenge DV and Darkness to Daylight 2023 for more information.
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