worksheet 1: jesus the boy carpenter - caritas 1 to 18...social justice week 913 september 2013...

Social Justice Week 9-13 September 2013

Worksheet 1: Jesus the boy carpenterJesus learning to build useful and beautiful things. Colour in.


Worksheet 2: Ways I can help others in class

Draw a line to match the words to the picture.

Collect up the pencils

Give out the books

Wipe down the tables

Water the pot plants

Feed the fish

Keep the score of a game

Help to find something that is lost

Help to carry a bag

Take a message to another class teacher

Pick up some litter

Put a tick (✔) beside any jobs you have done.


Worksheet 3: Helpfulness

When we hear the stories of Jesus we find out how much he loved other people.

Jesus helped people get well again. (Luke 7:1-10; Matt 4:23-25)

Jesus forgave people who had made mistakes. (Matt 9:1-13)

Jesus prayed with people who were feeling sad. (Matt 9:35-37; John 11:1-44)

Jesus calmed the storm on the lake. (Luke 8:22)

Jesus cured the blind man. (Mark 8:22-26)

I can try to be like Jesus.

I can help someone who is feeling sick.I can say sorry to those I have hurt.I can pray with people.I can make others happy when they’re feeling sad.I can show kindness to people with disabilities.

Draw a picture that shows

how helpful you can be.


Worksheet 4a: Introducing some friends at Caritas

Meet Emily

At the Caritas office, Emily works on design ideas. She uses her talents and skills to edit words and photos on our web pages and posters.

At home, Emily works to help her husband Sam and her two children stay well and happy. Emily knits beautiful clothes for them.

At Gloria and Max’s school, Emily works as a volunteer, helping the children with their art projects.

Emily says, ‘I like working at different jobs because it means I never get bored. I like helping people because it makes me feel good and it makes them feel good.’

My question about Emily’s different work is


Meet NickNick often visits places where Caritas helps to make people’s lives better. The photo shows Nick in Afghanistan last year.

Nick and his family sometimes visit the Buddhist monastery in Wainuiomata near Wellington. Nick is a Catholic and his wife Anya is a Buddhist. Nick listens and looks after Anika and Noah while Anya prays with the monks. After the monk’s blessing, they all share lunch together.

Sometimes at home it’s peaceful and sometimes it’s not! It’s especially noisy when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit from Oman. While playing with Anika and Noah, Nick tries to listen to his Mum and Dad’s stories too!

Nick says, ‘Lots of my time I spend listening. Listening to our friends in the Afghanistan, listening to the wise monks in Wainuiomata, listening to Anika tell me about her day in school – even listening to Mum and Dad – sometimes.... But I love it! I learn something new from everyone I listen to. And I think everyone feels good when someone listens to them.’

My question about Nick’s different work is

Worksheet 4b: Introducing some friends at Caritas


Meet Martin

Martin is a writer and editor at Caritas. Martin gets information from many places – talking to people, reading books and magazines, and from the Internet. Martin’s talent is to turn difficult ideas into something we can all understand.

Martin also works in a community garden near his home. Here, people learn more about working with the earth and growing vegetables, and get to know their neighbours.

Sometimes Martin also works as a volunteer ranger on Matiu-Somes, the island in the middle of Wellington harbour. He welcomes visitors, and shows them interesting things like tuatara that are returning to this island sanctuary.

Martin says, ‘We need to take care of the earth and all the people on it. I love being outdoors, but I also need to write about the things I see and read about, to make sense of it.’

My question about Martin’s different work is

Worksheet 4c: Introducing some friends at Caritas


Worksheet 5: Work for the Church

Write down the work that different people do for your local parish church. Do you know the names of any of these helpful people?

Jobs for the people

MusiciansPeople who collect for the foodbankAdd some more here

Jobs that care for the building inside and out

Clean inside the churchPolish the sacred vesselsAdd some more here

Jobs for the liturgies

Proclaim the WordLight the candlesAdd some more here

Jobs to keep things in order

Work at the parish officeWash and iron the altar clothsAdd some more here


Worksheet 6: Jesus teaches about his work

Look at this picture. What did Jesus read?CLUE. Look up Luke 4:16-22. You could colour in this picture.

Make a scroll and write down some of the ‘work’ that Jesus came to do.


Worksheet 7: Who’s responsible

Make a ‘Who’s responsible?’ chart

Make a chart of jobs that need to be done at home. It could be about a special event planned such as a camping trip or completing a special family project. To make it a more cooperative jobs chart, under the word WHO, you could write WHO WILL DO IT TOGETHER.

Across the top write three headings

WHAT WHO DONE [who will do this together]

Take out recycling Alex + Dad

Put the dishes away Richie

Here are six ways to help you make responsible choices

C onsider what might happen – think before you act.

H elp yourself to be responsible by getting and staying organised.

O bey rules and laws in your home, school and community.

I gnore bad ideas that pop into your head. Change what you are doing or think about something good instead.

C hoose the choice that’s best for you and for others. The choice that makes you feel right inside.

E arn people’s trust by showing that they can count on you.


Worksheet 8: Interview planner

In pairs, compose a set of four or five questions to ask someone about their work and how it makes a fairer place for people to live and work.

Here are some questions as starters for you to help write your own questions.

How would you describe your job?

What few words sum up your job?

How organised do you have to be to do that job?

What inspired you to choose that job?

How does that job make a difference?

How is that job helping to make people in the community more fair or just?

Is your job very rewarding?

Here are some other words that you could use to compose your questions.

responsible out of work first job happy breakthrough skills talent values

disappointment choices pay challenges

vision who benefits? hero

???


Worksheet 9: The rights of children at work

Article 32 Children have a right to protection from work that is bad for their health. Article 36 Children have a right to protection from any other kind of exploitation.(Exploitation is when adults ‘use’ children to do work for them and make money for themselves.)

Read these comments from children aged between 10 and 16 years of age who have been involved in delivering newspapers and advertising circulars in the region covered by the Archdiocese of Wellington. What kinds of rights are they talking about?

Did you know that the United Nations has written a Convention on the rights of children?To read what these rights are, go to http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Write down a list of rights that you think ANY worker (child or adult) should have?

Why might children have more trouble than adults in standing up for their rights at work?

What could employers do to make the working conditions of children better?

Share with your class-mates any stories of paid work that you have done.

I got

attacked by a dog ... it was a pit bull – I chucked my bag at the dog to stop it attacking ... the dog bit

me on the top of the leg ...

The pay

wasn’t

good.

The first couple of

months we had to keep ringing the supervisor ‘cos we weren’t being

paid …

If I

get sick I still have to do it anyway.

(I quit)

because the conditions were

really bad ... it took too long to fold and too long to

deliver.


Worksheet 10: Unpaid work and voluntary work

Not everyone in New Zealand works for wages or a salary. Some people do unpaid work, eg. in the home. Others do work outside of the home which is for other people but is unpaid (voluntary).

New words: oesophagus, digesting, Invalid’s Benefit, privilege, patient

Read Ellen’s story and think of three questions you would like to ask her about her voluntary work.

Ellen’s storyEllen was born with a hole in her oesophagus, which meant that she couldn’t eat or drink. Before she was even a day old, she had her first operation to help to repair her digestive system. Ellen had seven more major operations throughout her childhood and teenage years.

As an adult, Ellen continues to have difficulties digesting food. As a result, she has low energy levels. She is on an Invalid’s Benefit. This means that she gets paid a weekly allowance by Work and Income New Zealand.

When Ellen was younger she thought of becoming an early childhood educator. This was not possible due to her health problems, but Ellen maintained an interest in working with children.

Several years ago she heard about a voluntary organisation that works in a number of hospitals in Auckland and Whangarei called ‘Radio Lollipop’. Ellen did some investigating and became a Radio Lollipop Volunteer. Ellen talks about her experiences in this voluntary job below.

Have you ever been in hospital? Were you visiting a family member or a friend, or were you the patient? Sometimes it can be a scary place and sometimes it can be just plain boring. When we are happy we heal faster and the world is a nicer place.

At Starship Hospital they have a very special asset: their own in-house Radio Station. It can only be heard in Starship and goes out to all the wards, so if a child has a favourite song he or she can make a request, or come to the studio and be a guest presenter.

I loved my time with Radio Lollipop and sometimes I miss it. Working as a volunteer, it was a real privilege to be able to go into a room, where a child may not have been having a good day, and bring a smile. I remember the bubble mixture (not just for the

little ones) and playing games of Battleships. (The Radio Lollipop people nearly always lose!) I keep in touch with some of the friends I made, and when I can, I contribute to the work they do by making donations. If you want more information, have a look at the website www.radiolollipop.org.

Radio Lollipop is a programme run by volunteers who provide entertainment and support to children in hospital, and their families.

As Radio Lollipop Volunteers, we take a basket of games and activities to each ward and play games with the children, or make crafty things like designer glasses with pipe cleaners, and paint pictures. When a Radio Lollipop Volunteer walks into the room they bring fun!


Worksheet 11: The work of Jesus goes onWe say that Jesus came into the world as our Saviour and Liberator.

What does this mean?

(Being ‘liberated’ from something means being ‘set free’. In Jesus’ time, when a master ‘liberated’ a slave, it meant he or she was now free to live an independent life and earn his or her own money.)

Look up the following Bible passages and write down why Jesus came into the world.

John 10:10

John 3:17

Jesus came into the world to bring light, peace, hope, joy, healing and eternal life.

Wow, that’s a big job!


Worksheet 11, continued… The work of Jesus goes on

What are some of the problems in the world? eg. poverty, war, unemployment

What might be the causes of some of the problems? eg. selfishness, greed, unfairness

Jesus came into our world to save us and set us free from the causes of our problems. According to St Paul, it is our ‘job’ as Christians to continue the work of Jesus.

List some of the ways you can help to bring life, joy, peace and love to the world.


Worksheet 12: Using our gifts in our work

God has given us all unique gifts and talents. Sometimes people get to use these gifts in their paid work. In other cases, especially when it is hard to find a paid job, people can develop their gifts by doing unpaid work or voluntary work.

Read the stories of Ange and Madeline and find out what they gained from paid work, unpaid work and voluntary work.

What gifts and talents did Ange and Madeline develop in their paid jobs?

What gifts and talents did they use in their voluntary/unpaid jobs?

What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you to share with others RIGHT NOW?

Ange’s storyAnge is a Mum of ten-month-old Katie Marie. She also cares for her two-month-old nephew, and is expecting another child soon. She is finding the work of being a Mum very rewarding.

‘I know that the contribution of my husband and I will mould them into young people that have the ability to thrive in everything they do,’ she says.

Looking back over her years in paid work, Ange recalls that it was often a stressful experience.

Her most fulfilling job was in a blood collection clinic. She gained confidence and a sense of independence in this job, and discovered that she had a talent for working with a wide variety of people from doctors to patients.

During a period of unemployment , Ange did volunteer work with her parish youth group and assisted in programmes such as Vinnies, World Youth Day and prayer groups. Ange found this work fulfilling too, and discovered that she was good at encouraging young people and helping them to share their talents.

Madeline’s storyWhen she was at high school, Madeline played the violin, viola and piano, and was a member of the environmental group.

Madeline wasn’t sure what career path to take and decided to get a paid job for a while so she could save money to go to

university. Finding paid work was not as easy as she’d hoped, and Madeline was unemployed for about a year.

Although this was a very difficult time for her, she decided to help out as a volunteer in her parish and then in an environmental justice organisation called 350 Aotearoa. Madeline discovered that by volunteering for 350 she really believes in the message of this organisation, which is to simplify our lifestyles so that the damage climate change is bringing to our planet will be reduced. She is concerned about people in the Pacific Islands who are suffering from the effects of climate change, especially those who have lost their homes to rising sea levels, and damaging cyclones.

Madeline has now got a permanent paid job with Vodafone, which she finds interesting and challenging. She intends to work for Vodafone and save up money so she can go to university and do a degree in Environmental Science. This will hopefully lead to her dream career with 350 Aotearoa.


Worksheet 13: Fighting for workers’ rights: the story of César ChávezCésar Chávez was only ten years old when his parents lost their farm and left Arizona to look for work. They travelled to California where his family became ‘migrant workers’. This meant that they travelled around California working on orchards and farms.

The working conditions for the migrant workers were terrible. The whole family lived in a tiny corrugated iron shed without windows. There were no inside toilets or electricity. They slept on blankets on the floor because there were no beds. The pay for working in the fields was very low; barely enough to buy food for the family. Even then, growers sometimes cheated the workers out of some of their wages.

Because they moved around so much, Chávez had attended at least 20 schools by the time he reached Year 8 instead of going to high school he became a fulltime migrant worker too.

Chávez became more aware of the other aspects of work that were difficult and dangerous for the workers. There was often no water supply near the fields for the workers to drink from; they had to work with short-handled hoes which led to back strain; and often they were working in fields that had recently been sprayed with dangerous pesticides.

César Chávez decided that it was time to act. He led strikes, non-violent marches, boycotts and hunger strikes. Along with a woman called Dolores Huerta, he started a union called the National Farm Workers Union. Eventually most growers accepted the terms of Chávez, Huerta and their union.

TEACHER NOTE: We have included online a prayer by César Chávez in the liturgy on the dignity of work.

The life and work of César Chávez highlights two important principles of Catholic social teaching:

The principle of human dignity: Every person is created in the image of God and is worthy of respect.

How does the work of Chávez and the changes that he and his union managed to bring about demonstrate this principle?

The principle of the common good: When decisions are made by communities and governments they have to be the best ones for everyone concerned. The common good respects the rights and responsibilities of all people.

Do you think that Chávez was motivated by wanting the common good, or was he just interested in the workers, and not the growers? Explain your point of view.

The Biography Channel website, 2013. www.biography.com/people/cesar-chavez-9245781.


Worksheet 14: Human dignity and workThe unemployment rate in New Zealand is about 6% (Department of Statistics, March, 2013). This means that for every one hundred people who are able and willing to work, ninety four people are in work and six can’t find a job.

When the Department of Statistics looked at youth unemployment (youth being people aged between 15-24 years) they found that 17 % of this age group are out of work.

Put yourself in someone else’s shoesRead the comments of two young people who have been out of work, and consider what is similar about their experiences.

• How would you feel if you had been looking for work for six months or more?

• How would you feel if you couldn’t find work using the skills you had gained through your training?

Hi. My name is Ziska. Since moving back to my home town I’ve been searching for a job for one year straight.

It’s been challenging as. I’ve looked at many jobs and have applied for about 50 in total.

The key challenge of trying to find a job is that all employers are looking for people with experience. It’s hard to get

experience if you don’t get given a chance to gain experience!

Hi. I’m Beth. I graduated with a double degree in Law and English in May 2010. ... It took me 11 months

to find a full-time job.This was a desert time for me. I often felt inadequate at

the same time as I had to promote myself. In most social situations the first question asked by a new person is

‘So, what do you do?’ This became a sensitive question for me.

Pope John Paul II once said,

‘Work is for the worker, not the worker for work.’What do you think he meant?

Questions for reflection and discussion

1. How does ‘being out of work’ make people feel?

2. Why is work so important to our sense of human dignity?

3. Is it the Government’s responsibility to provide work for young New Zealanders?

4. Does having everyone in work contribute to the common good?


Worksheet 15a: Workers’ rights

What are the basic rights of employees?

There are minimum rights and entitlements set out in law, which apply to ALL employees, whether it is written in their employment agreement or not.

The law sets out the minimum rights of an employee, including:• paid time off work• a minimum wage• public holidays• sick leave.

Employees also have the right to refuse to do work that would likely harm them.

Employers must make sure that all workers, including young people, are safe at work and not unlawfully discriminated against.

One of the main principles of the law on employment is ‘good faith’. This means that employers, employees and unions must deal with one another honestly and openly.

Research

Go to the website

www.dol.govt.nz/infozone/my first job

and find out:

• What is an employment agreement?

• What is the difference between an individual employment agreement and a collective employment agreement?

• What is the minimum you can be paid (the minimum wage)?

• How much should you be paid if you work on public holidays?

• If workers are unhappy with their conditions of work what can they do?

Now read Ashley’s story on the following page and then answer these questions.

1. Was there evidence of ‘good faith’ between Ashley and her employer?

2. What particular basic worker’s rights were denied to Ashley?

3. Ashley was able to get support and advice from Work and Income New Zealand. What other organisations could she have approached for help?

4. You may be taking up a part-time job or a holiday job shortly. What conditions will be important for you to have in your employment contract?


Worksheet 15b: Workers’ rights

Ashley’s storyAshley is 17 years old and in her last year of high school. Over summer she worked two jobs, one as a kitchen hand at a local restaurant and another as a manual labourer at a seed factory. She reflected on the huge contrast between the two working environments.

At the restaurant the employer was rude and unreasonable. As this was Ashley’s first job as a kitchen hand, she was slower than the other workers. The chef who ran the restaurant would often swear at her and put her down due to her inefficiencies. ‘I was on my restricted licence at the time and so I couldn’t legally drive after 10pm, which is when my shift ended ... there was one time I couldn’t finish all the dishes in time and the chef made me stay and finish the dishes past 10pm. I wasn’t even paid for the over time.’

At the end of her time at the restaurant she was not sad to leave, but she discovered she had been underpaid. Uncertain about the process of getting the right pay, she considered not bothering. She disliked her employer and didn’t want to go back.

In the end she called Work and Income to find out her rights and with encouragement from her family and the other workers at her other job, she found the courage to return to the employer and asked to be paid correctly.

Ashley received her full pay and next time she spoke to someone from the restaurant, they mentioned the employer was more reasonable. ‘Perhaps it just took someone to stand up to him, you know?’


Worksheet 16a: Finding meaning in different kinds of ‘work’For young adults in New Zealand, finding a permanent paid job can be difficult. The unemployment rate for those between 15-24 years of age in this country is 17 per cent, which is double the unemployment rate of the general adult population. (Statistics New Zealand, 2013.)

Read the following stories of two young New Zealanders. Find out about what Ange and Madeline learned from their experiences of paid employment and unpaid work.

Ange’s storyAnge is Mum to ten-month-old Katie Marie. She also cares for her two-month-old nephew, and is expecting another child soon. She is finding the work of being a Mum very rewarding.

‘I know that the contribution of my husband and I will mould them into young people that have the ability to thrive in everything they do,’ she says.

Looking back over her years in paid work, Ange recalls that it was often a stressful experience. From 2005 to 2012 she worked in more than ten different companies and agencies including the Department of Immigration, Auckland Regional Council, Ministry of Justice, Vodafone, Barnardos, PORSE (a homecare organisation), and as a teacher aide. Some jobs were temping jobs and some were short-term contracts. Ange said she left some jobs early due to a lack of support from managers.

Ange talks about the most fulfilling job she had:

‘My biggest accomplishment career-wise was working in a blood collection clinic in 2009. I worked long hours and there was a lot of stress involved, but I was passionate about my work and believe this showed to the management as I was given many projects to work on such as implementing protocols when dealing with outbreaks at our blood collection centres. There were so many challenges in this role and I embraced every challenge with open arms.

‘I gained confidence and a sense of independence working in this job. I discovered that I was good at problem-solving and that I could work well with professionals such as doctors.’

For a period of eight months in 2011, Ange was unemployed. During this time she describes herself as feeling ‘lost and like I had no sense of purpose’. ‘I was unable to do my usual things because I had no income,’ she says. One of the hardest things about being out of work was not being able to financially help her family.

While she was out of paid work, Ange did volunteer work with her parish youth group and assisted in programmes such as Vinnies, World Youth Day and prayer groups. Ange found this work fulfilling, and discovered that she was good at encouraging young people and helping them to share their talents.

Now, as a Mum, working at home with two children (soon to be three!), Ange will get plenty of opportunities to nurture the development of the gifts of others.


Worksheet 16b: Finding meaning in different kinds of ‘work’

Madeline’s storyMadeline is passionate about music and the environment. She plays the piano, violin and viola, and was a member of her school environmental group. At the end of high school Madeline considered applying to do performance music at university. However, she had some doubts about this as a career option, and she had other interests she thought she might pursue.

After a year at university, Madeline was still unclear about what course of study she wanted to pursue, so she decided to get some paid work for a while.

That was when Madeline was faced with the fact that there are many young people looking for work and not enough jobs for them all. Madeline found that it was hard to keep motivated in her job-seeking. Not having paid work also meant that she couldn’t go out with friends much and couldn’t help to support her family or herself.

The factors that helped her during a year of unemployment were the support of her family and having a mentor/job-skills teacher from an agency called ‘Inwork’. Madeline attended weekly talks that he gave and went with him to meet possible employers.

After a year of job-seeking, it was Madeline’s mentor who referred her for the job at Vodafone that she now has. She was initially taken on at Vodafone for an administration/processing job which was supposed to last for three months. This was extended to five months, and then became a permanent job. Madeline describes her job at Vodafone as challenging and well-paid. ‘I meet people with different backgrounds and it allows me to have a social life,’ she says.

While Madeline is very happy at Vodafone for the time being, her period of unemployment gave her the opportunity to re-awaken her interest in the environment. While she was looking for paid work Madeline volunteered for an organisation called 350 Aotearoa. This group is concerned about the effects of climate change, particularly in the Pacific.

Earlier this year, Vodafone gave Madeline leave from work to attend a United Nations environmental conference for young people in Kenya. This was a highly motivational experience for Madeline. ‘My new five-year plan is to stay at work and save some money and then go back to university to do an Environmental Science degree’, she says. ‘I really want to campaign for people to simplify their lifestyles ... It’s the little things that matter.’

Are you like Madeline with lots of different gifts and interests?

• Make a list of all the gifts you have and all of the things you are interested in, eg. sports, hobbies, types of people you like working with, school subjects, etc.)

• Circle the interests that might lead you into finding paid work. What might you need to study in order to make a career out of one of your interests?

• Put a star by all the interests that might lead you into getting voluntary work. How could you use your particular interests and gifts to help others in an unpaid voluntary job right now?


Worksheet 16c: Finding meaning in different kinds of ‘work’

Mark’s storyMark grew up in Mumbai, India, and moved to New Zealand when he was 24 years old.

Immigrating to Australia or New Zealand had always been Mark’s father’s dream, but sadly he passed away when Mark was 13 years old. Mark was also attracted to come to New Zealand because he loved The Lord of the Rings movies.

Mark had a degree in economics and a diploma in computer science from a university in Mumbai. After some more study in New Zealand and some short-term jobs, he took up a position in the wholesale division of a telecommunications company. He was in a well-paying job with lots of travel and other perks. However, Mark felt that there might be more for him to do with his life.

In 2010 he entered the Good Shepherd Seminary and a whole new world of experiences opened up for him. As well as prayer and study, Mark found his pastoral experiences very powerful and life-changing. ‘When I spent time volunteering at resthomes and houses for people with intellectual disabilities, I was way out of my comfort zone. But when I overcame my fear, my confidence grew. It was so rewarding to overcome my fear – particularly of talking to the dying. I made friends with a 100 year old lady!’ Through his seminary experiences Mark developed his gifts of patience, helpfulness and active listening.

In 2012 Mark left the seminary and found himself back in the job market. This time it wasn’t so easy to get a good job. He found a part-time job after a month, but it took another five months to find a full-time job. Mark found this time of being out of full-time employment very difficult. ‘In my culture being unemployed is shameful,’ Mark said. ‘In India, if you’re not a doctor, an engineer, or an IT guy, then you’re nothing.’

Mark had to work hard at staying positive and not isolating himself. ‘It’s better to go out and do something rather than stay at home and do nothing’, he said. Mark spent his spare time walking and swimming. He set himself exercise challenges using his Nike Plus phone application! He says that physical exercise, as well as the support of friends and family really helped him to get through this time.

Now Mark is back working in a telecommunications firm, in a lower-paid job than before, but he sees it as a stepping-stone to moving back into the IT industry. His role now is as a support specialist. This means he spends much of his time helping customers over the phone. He finds that he has the ability to be very patient, especially with elderly people. He also practises what he calls ‘active listening’ – not just hearing, but actually putting himself in the customer’s shoes. ‘I really want to help them,’ he says. ‘If I can’t help them, they’ll have to spend a lot of money.’

It’s interesting that Mark is using the exact same gifts and skills in his support job as he used in his pastoral experiences in the seminary. It just goes to show that whatever work you find yourself doing, it is an opportunity to use the gifts God has given you!


Worksheet 16d: Finding meaning in different kinds of ‘work’

Rob’s storyRob discovered that he had a gift for doing maths when he was seven years old. When he went to secondary school also he found that he loved the ideas and the method of science. ‘I like finding things out; finding out how things are, and fit together,’ he says.

Rob studied maths and science at Victoria University of Wellington and then went to England to do some research for a PhD. The abbreviation PhD stands for ‘Doctor of Philosophy’. It is the highest university qualification that a person can get, and is usually given when a person presents an original piece of research or thought, that he or she has worked on for several years.

Rob did his PhD in an area of science called medical physics. He worked with a team of scientists and mathematicians at a hospital in Leicester, England, where he discovered a new way of measuring blood-flow through arteries. His findings now help doctors diagnose when a patient is at risk of having a stroke.

Rob feels a strong sense of responsibility for using his gifts for the good of others. ‘I remember a time during my PhD study’, he says, ‘when I thought, “This is all very well, but is it going to be used?” I now find myself choosing to do things that I think are valuable and choosing not to become interested in other things.’

After returning to New Zealand, Rob worked for many years for Industrial Research Ltd as a research scientist and mathematician. Due to budget cuts however, he was made redundant in 2010, and found himself out of work for two years.

He says, ‘My work had been a big part of my life. When I was out of work I realised how much some other areas of my life were lacking ...’

Rob used his spare time doing some voluntary work. This involved helping at a mid-week church service in a rest home and carrying out office tasks for the chaplains at the local hospital. ‘I would not have been able to do these things if I had been working,’ he says.

‘These activities helped broaden my life.’

Another thing that Rob did during his time of unemployment was to write a book. It was a mathematics book on probability and was published by Cambridge University Press this year. This was a great achievement for Rob, as he had always wanted to write a book, but had never had the time before.

Now Rob is back in full-time work. He is enjoying the social side of work again, of having workmates to talk to, and of having a place to get up and go to in the mornings. Rob is very grateful to have paid work again, but there is a down-side to it. ‘I am trying to write another book at the moment,’ Rob says, ‘but I don’t have much time to put into it, now that I am working full-time again!’


Worksheet 17: Standing up for your rights at work

Before preparing your arguments for the debating topics, make sure that everyone is clear on the meaning of the following terms: trade union, employer, employee, minimum wage, sick pay, holiday pay, occupational health and safety, employment contract.

Do you think that children should have the same rights as adults who do similar work?

Compare the rights of child newspaper delivery workers and adult postal delivery workers set out below. Then have some class debates about the questions which follow.

That child workers should be able to join a union.

Ideas for debating

topics That child workers should have the same health and

safety standards at work as adult workers.

That child workers should receive sick pay and holiday

pay, just as adult workers do.

That child workers should receive a minimum wage of

at least $8 an hour.

That children younger than 12 years old should not be

allowed to have a paper run.

Conditions of employment of child newspaper and circular delivery workers*

Conditions of employment of adult postal delivery workers (posties)

No minimum wage rate for workers under 16. Pay rates range between $1.67 - $6.25 per hour*

Minimum wage rate is set for workers aged 16 and over. Cannot be less than $13.75 per hour

Children and their parents supply bikes, wet-weather gear and other clothing. Some companies supply bags.

Posties get bikes, carrying gear, wet-weather gear and high visibility clothing supplied by the employer.

Do not have the opportunity to join a union - no union is currently covering child delivery workers, or negotiating pay and conditions.

Posties can choose to join the Postal Workers Union or Engineers Union to negotiate collective agreements covering their pay and conditions

Most do not get sick pay or holiday pay. Get sick leave and holiday pay.

There is no active supervision of health and safety issues, such as the employer making sure that children’s loads are not too heavy.

Health and safety issues are closely monitored. Employers make sure that bikes are safe and loads are reasonable.

*Caritas Aotearoa NZ, Delivering the Goods: A survey of child delivery workers, 2006.


Worksheet 18: My gifts, my work

How do people use their gifts to help to ‘build up’ creation? Here are two real stories.

Meet DexterDexter is thirty-three years old and is a seminarian with the Missionary Society of the Philippines (MSP). He is currently doing pastoral work in the Kaitaia Parish in the Auckland diocese.

Dexter grew up in Davao in the Philippines. He says he was a very shy teenager. “I used to work in the background at church”, he says. “I was ego-

centred, and liked just to play computer games with my friends.”

Dexter was encouraged to develop his gifts by members of his parish and school. They challenged him to get out of his ‘comfort zone’ and he began to find community involvement fun. He discovered that what he was avoiding, was actually his strength! He was good at relating to people and good at public speaking. Now in his life as a seminarian, he is finding that he has a natural talent for preaching and teaching, as well as giving seminars and retreats.

He also has good computer skills. ‘I am particularly interested in media evangelisation,’ he says. ‘I want to use social networking to tell people about God.... My past experience working as a salesman taught me that what you say is not the only part of your message that is important. How you say it is important too. It made me think about how to be creative in bringing Christ to others.’

Meet RobRob knew he was very good at maths when he was seven years old. He also enjoyed science when he was at secondary school.

Rob studied maths and science at Victoria University of Wellington, then went to England to do research in an area of science called medical physics. He worked in a hospital in Leicester, England, with a group of scientists and mathematicians who were looking at how to measure blood-flow in arteries. He discovered a new way to measure the speed of blood flowing through arteries. This helps doctors predict if a person is in danger of having a stroke.

After he finished his research, Rob returned to New Zealand where he worked at Industrial Research Limited for some years. Now he works for Immigration New Zealand.

Rob believes that he has a responsibility to use his gifts for the benefit of others. ‘I remember during my PhD study, I thought, “This is all very well, but is it going to be used?” Now I find myself choosing to do things that I think are valuable and choosing not to become interested in other things.’

Rob believes in God and in the ‘truths’ of science. He says ‘In maths and science there are strong senses of ideas being correct or incorrect.’ Rob describes these ‘truths’ as being scientific principles or ‘laws’ that God has created. A scientist’s work involves ‘discovering these laws’.

worksheet 1: jesus the boy carpenter - caritas 1 to 18...social justice week 913 september 2013...

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