On Saturday 11 August, our Advocacy and Communications Manager, Mark Riboldi, spoke on a panel at the 2018 UTS Law Students Society ‘From Thoughts to Actions’ Social Justice Conference.
The session was called How to Get Involved in Law Reform (Now), with a brief of ‘people who work in law reform or social justice initiatives explain how utilising their legal skills and knowledge can result in effective change, as well as providing examples of ways that law students can get involved at any stage of their degree.’
Also, on the panel was Julianne Elliott, Legal Aid NSW Senior Solicitor in the Children’s Legal Service. Mark really enjoyed the experience:
“I spend a lot of time in a bubble - working with the sector, our partners or decision-makers trying and achieve progressive law reform - so it was excellent to get out of that and speak to a bunch of enthusiastic young law students who are interested in social change,” he said.
“People who are passionate about law reform often don’t know where to start. My top tip is to look around you and find people who are interested in the same things as you, and take action together.
“That could be your union, a community or activist group, or just a bunch of friends who want to get things done – change is made by people working together.
“With so many issues to get involved with, it’s also really important to look after yourselves and your comrades. The system or injustice you’re trying to change isn’t going to stop for a rest at convenient times, so self-care, solidarity and looking out for each other is a must.
“Law students can also volunteer at their local community legal centre – we’re always looking for more passionate people to help improve access to justice in NSW,” he said.
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Pictured below: Mark from Community Legal Centres NSW and Julianne from Legal Aid NSW with Luma, Emma and Lachlan from the UTS Law Students Society.
To volunteer at a community legal centre, contact your local centre or visit this website.