A pupil from All Saints School in Sheffield, Kit Bell, has won the writing section of the Columban Young Journalists Competition in Britain on the theme, ‘Tackling our Throwaway Culture’.
Ruth Gledhill of The Tablet liked that “it started with a personal behavioural anecdote and extrapolated from that, based on Catholic social teachings”. John Vidal, former Environment Editor at The Guardian, felt Kit’s article “made good links between poverty and environment”. Kit rounded off her article by saying that “indifference and selfishness are the only true drivers of this throwaway culture – so maybe it's time for a change of heart.”
Second place was Evelyn James from St Mark’s School in Hounslow. She was critical of wasteful lifestyles side by side with poverty, exacerbated by climate change. The articles of Gabriela Fanucciu, St Bede’s, Lytham St Anne’s and Maeve Ann Burrell, All Saints, Sheffield came joint third. They offered hope that if we shun single-use plastic, alongside reducing consumption, recycling and reusing, then we can be on the path to better respecting God’s creation. “We must alter our capital-driven mindsets to focus on the real importance and beauty of what is around us” suggested Gabriela.
The Columbans invited students to write an article on the topic of 'Tackling our Throwaway Culture'. They were encouraged to look at a topical issue which is relevant to Catholic Social Teaching and resonates with Columban mission. The subject matter recognised Columban work on themes within Laudato Si’ in all 16 countries where they work. Past competitions have focused on Climate Change and Migrants.
Around 100 young people entered between Britain and Ireland, and in England alone more than 20 schools were involved, from Hartlepool in the north to Wimbledon in London. Their teachers and Britain’s external judges, who also included Liz Dodd of The Tablet, were warmly thanked for their support of the Columban competition. A teacher at St Bede’s in Lytham St Annes, thanked the Columbian Missionaries “for providing a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to put principles of Catholic Social Teaching into action”.
The winning video in the recent Columban Young Journalists Competition for Britain was produced by Chloe Laberinto from St. Paul’s School in Milton Keynes. The video made the link between recycling and the action to tackle our throwaway culture urged by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’. She pointed out that “almost every piece of plastic ever made is still on this planet in some form or another” and echoed the call of Pope Francis for “ecological conversion”. Judges felt it was a well-constructed video with good use of images and video and augmented with graphics, text and well-researched facts.
Second place video winner was Evie McCann, from St Bede’s Catholic School, Lytham St Annes, who produced “an exceptional contribution”, according to The Tablet’s Ruth Gledhill, who was one of the judges, “with lovely use of video and skilled presentation”. The video opens with beautiful images of a turtle and dolphin swimming in the ocean, contrasted with plastic pollution in waterways. She quotes from Pope Francis: “As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the Earth a beautiful garden for the human family.”
The joint third place winners, were Maureen Unwunali from St Paul’s, Milton Keynes, and Benjamin Cooper from Bishop Ullathorne, Coventry. Maureen showcased her talented creativity with a poetic statement on our society’s throwaway culture. One judge described Benjamin’s dramatic video as “outstanding” and “beautifully storyboarded and produced with a powerful and compelling message, reference to social teaching and a call to action”. Benjamin hoped Pope Francis would one day be able to take back his words in Laudato Si’ that, “the Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth”.
The Columbans invited students to produce a short video on a topic relevant to Catholic Social Teaching and Columban mission in 16 countries around the world. Around 100 young people entered between Britain and Ireland, and in England more than 20 schools were involved.
Chloe Labertino's winning video
See the winning article by Kit Bell's and the piece by one of the runners-up Gabriela Fanucciu.
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