River Nile School
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (09:50): River Nile School is not your average school. It is an independent senior secondary school that provides specialised and educational experiences for young women from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds who have had disrupted mainstream school experiences. I was so thrilled to be invited to River Nile and meet the incredible staff and leadership team and some really extraordinary young women who, despite all the obstacles in front of them, still turn up to school at River Nile because for them education is freedom. It is freedom to shape their future, to break the cycles of poverty, disadvantage and trauma. For these young women, education is a way to challenge injustices, to resist abuse, oppression and discrimination. Sitting down and talking with them, we discussed housing, immigration and also the recognition of the rich skills that refugee and migrant women contribute to Victoria. These young women did not just share their aspirations, they also spoke so deeply, with poise and empathy, for their families and communities. For me, it was a really meaningful reminder that education is a defiant reminder that it is not just about turning up, it is about rising in spite of everything that these young women have to overcome.