“I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world.”
– Amanda Gorman
PHOTO BY JAKARIA HUSSAIN
What is The Salvation Army?
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church.
Vision Statement
Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight alongside others to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.
Mission Statement
The Salvation Army is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus by:
• Caring for people
• Creating faith pathways
• Building healthy communities
• Working for justice
The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and work and pay our respect to Elders, past, present, and future. We value and include people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and intersex status. We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.
Scan here to connect with The Salvation Army services
Founders: William and Catherine Booth
Buckingham
Leading change
The upcoming United Nations annual International Day of the Girl (11 October) promotes girls’ empowerment and highlights the challenges girls face worldwide. UNICEF states that “It is a day that belongs to everyone who cares about girls and their rights. On this day, we come together to recognise and advocate for the full spectrum of girls’ rights.”
Globally, women and girls continue to face systemic oppression and violence and are devalued, disrespected and undermined. Some progress is being made, but deep challenges remain.
The Salvos are part of the fight against the injustices facing girls and women, giving a voice to the silenced, and supporting them to raise their own voices. The Salvation Army stands for equity and equality in every sphere of life.
Scan here to subscribe to Salvos Magazine
Salvation Army World Leaders: General Lyndon and Commissioner Bronwyn
Territorial Leader: Commissioner Miriam Gluyas
Secretary for Communications and Editor-In-Chief: Colonel Rodney Walters
Printed and published for The Salvation Army by Commissioner Miriam Gluyas at Focus Print Group, Chester Hill, NSW, Darug Nation lands. Editorial
In this edition, Rosy Keane shares a biblical perspective on girls, and what people can do to invest in girls and be part of making the world a more equal place for everyone.
Different young women also share their stories of mentoring and advocating for other women, both through their local Salvos and beyond.
For these stories and more, go to salvosonline.org.au
Simone Worthing Editor
Empowered to change the world
Investing in girls to transform generations
by Rosy Keane
You may or may not have heard of the International Day of the Girl Child (often just called the Day of the Girl), celebrated this year on 11 October with the theme The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead.
Most articles about the Day of the Girl will be written and read by adults, yet our hope is to turn our hearts and minds toward the girls in our midst and around the world, focusing on recognising their value and participating in actions to co-create a better future for them.
The statistics are frightening: 133 million girls are out of school today. For perspective, the population of Australia is about 27 million. That’s almost five times our entire nation of girls without education, options or a viable future. They could not write or read this article.
Why do we have an International Day of the Girl? Because statistics like these show how uniquely vulnerable girls are. Yet the theme The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead reminds us that girls are also uniquely empowered to transform the world.
Familiar story
My great-grandmother Bel was born in 1902. When she was six years old, she was given away to make room for one of
many more children. The man in the new ‘family’ quickly ended schooling for Bel, and at eight years old she was forced into farm work and house labour. Bel became one of these statistics.
She ran away and eventually was placed into one of The Salvation Army’s orphanages in rural New Zealand, where she went on to become a Salvation Army soldier (member). Over 120 years later, here I am, with The Salvation Army still. This tenacious young girl who endured so much impacted generations to come.
For many girls, Bel’s story isn’t so far removed from their own. Around the world, simply for the crime of being born a girl, she could face child marriage, female genital mutilation, sex trafficking and forced labour, male violence and compromised access to health care. She will also grow up to be disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis.
At times, it could feel frightening to be born a girl, and maybe even like a curse.
God’s perspective
But Scripture reminds us otherwise: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be,” (Psalm 139, verses 13-16, New International Version).
Girls everywhere need our love, care, attention, and empowerment.
Malala Yousafzai, world-renowned activist who survived the Taliban and champions young girls’ education, shares in her book I Am Malala how, when she was born, her father showered her crib with coins and fruit, gifts usually reserved only for boys. Her father taught her that being a girl is a source of wonder and pride, not disappointment and pain. Because of his belief in her purpose and position, she went on to change generations.
We believe God has a great plan for us. God made girls. God does not see a girl’s birth as a curse. God’s grace to the world is girls, promising them that they can be part of restoration for the world.
What can you do?
Girls everywhere need our love, care, attention and empowerment. Their unique skills and presence in the world will herald
powerful opportunities for transformation, bringing balance, creativity and growth to a world that desperately needs them. (Imagine the grace, solutions and wholeness that would emerge if five times the population of Australia worth of girls were simply given the gift of education?)
So, we ask:
• Where can you give, or invest in local and international causes that will benefit girls?
• How might your heroes and examples of faith include and uplift girls?
And finally, how can your prayers and generosity transform, not only Australia one life at a time, but the entire world, one girl at a time? Who knows what influence your belief in girls will have 120 years in the future.
STOCK PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
STOCK PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
STOCK PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
From silence to strength
Girls around the world face serious and heartbreaking challenges every day. From child marriage – where an estimated 12 million girls under the age of 18 become child brides each year – to modern slavery, where over 63 million girls are trapped in child labour.
The statistics are staggering. In Australia alone, 1 in 5 children experience domestic violence, and 1 in 3 teenagers report experiencing sex-based discrimination. These are not just numbers – they are lives, stories, and futures that matter deeply.
Believing that the voices of women and girls are critical to addressing many social issues that negatively impact societies, The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission launched an initiative called the International Social Justice Girls Group (ISJG) in 2021. It arose out of the significant engagement of Salvation Army girls in the 2020 International Day of the Girl observance, during which interest in further development of advocacy was expressed.
The initiative has opened the door for girls aged 14-25 to learn and develop as advocates for women and girls. The ISJG was created for the purpose of empowering, encouraging and educating women and girls in The Salvation Army from around the globe. More than 40 girls applied, and 25 were selected. They represent 15 countries and 10 languages.
Australia and beyond.
The theme of the ISJG campaign for International Day of the Girl this year is: ‘The Warrior, Her Voice, His Victory’ – based on words from the book of Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 10-18, which encourage us all to stand firm and speak up for what is right.
The ISJG wants girls around the world to know that they are not forgotten and are not alone.
– Grace Murray
Grace is a member of the International Social Justice Girls Group, based in Qld
Through the Salvos, Grace is working as an advocate for women and girls, both in
From outdoors to outreach
I'm Charli! I’m 16 and I love being outdoors, riding my motorbike, fishing with my mates, exploring, and being part of my community here in Katherine (Northern Territory).
Last year, something happened that totally changed my life. It all started when I met Amelia, the mum of one of my mates. She works for the Salvos, and I was curious about what she did and what the Salvos were all about. During the school holidays, I tagged along to check it out.
Soon afterwards, the Salvos teamed up with Katherine High School and some other local groups for a youth event. Amelia was there, and I asked if I could help out. I was amazed at how they connected with people, supported families, and made a real difference in our community. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
Being there
I chose to study a Certificate III in Community Services. For my placement, I went straight to the Salvos. I met so many community members, staff and volunteers. I learned heaps, not just from books, but from actually being there, listening and getting involved. I really saw what it means to show up for people and care.
One of the biggest influences in all of this has been Amelia. Her encouragement and belief in me have made me realise I actually can make a difference.
Now, I’ve not only finished my Certificate III, but I’ve also ticked off everything I need to
graduate Year 12 this November, 18 months early! I’m working full-time, and my dream is to keep giving back, supporting my local Salvos and community.
I want other young people in Katherine and across Australia to know you don’t have to wait until you’re an adult to make a difference. You can start now, right where you are.
Amelia, team leader of the Salvos outreach program, said, “Charli often says I’ve influenced her life, but she’s inspired me too. Seeing her graduate early, start full-time work, and still want to give back makes me hopeful for Katherine and for the next generation.”
– Charli-Grace Mazzaracca-Pacey
Charli (right), celebrates her Certificate III in Community Services with mentor Amelia.
The power of second-hand
Celebrating the inaugural World Op Shop Day
by Fay Foster
This year, Salvos Stores are joining in to celebrate 100 years of the term ‘op shop’ in Australia, with the very first World Op Shop Day on Saturday 18 October.
This is a national day to celebrate the power of second-hand, and the vital role op shops play in our communities. It’s an invitation for all Australians to engage with an op shop as a donor, a customer or a volunteer.
What’s it about?
World Op Shop Day is all about recognising and amplifying the incredible impact of charitable reuse. Op shops support people doing it tough, reduce waste, create jobs and fund essential social and community programs. This new annual event is here to shine a light on that impact and rally support around the cause.
Salvos Stores’ involvement
Nationally, we will be celebrating with customer offers both in-store and online. All stores will offer customers 20 per cent off purchases (applied to donated goods only) on World Op Shop Day.
Online users will grab 20 per cent off for the day, with the 100th customer of the day getting their order fully refunded!
Preventing landfill
Since the early 19th century, The Salvation Army has been collecting, sorting and recycling used household goods and clothing, through a range of different avenues. The first Salvation Army recycling depots opened in
Salvos Stores help save items from landfill.
Melbourne and Sydney in the 1880s, operating with the dual purpose of recycling used goods and providing employment, supplies and support to those who needed it the most.
These early endeavours led to the formation of Salvos Stores. In the last financial year alone, over 50 million items were diverted from landfill through over 400 Salvos Stores nationally. In the past 25 years this has accumulated into 575 thousand tonnes of textiles, electronics and home goods that would
Salvos Stores help fund programs that assist over 250,000 Aussies each year.
have otherwise become waste. The funds raised through the sale of these items have helped to fund programs supporting over 250,000 Australians experiencing hardship and injustice, every year.
In addition to receiving, sorting and reselling donated goods in-store and online, Salvos Stores also have processes in place to recycle items like rags, paper and cardboard, e-waste, batteries, mobile phones and printer cartridges. Every item resold or recycled through Salvos Stores is not only given a new life, but becomes
one more item that doesn’t need to be produced by the fast-fashion industry. Every time you choose to purchase clothing second-hand instead of new, you are contributing to the fashion revolution yourself by directing your purchasing power towards sustainability, and simultaneously lessening the demand and impact of fast fashion.
So, on this very first World Op Shop Day, let’s get ready to celebrate reuse, give back and be part of something bigger!
Building community in everyday spaces
I began my [current] role as a youth pastor with the Salvos in south-western Sydney in March 2024. Two of the officers (pastors) just told me to go where God needs you, report back where you are. The only thing we care about is that you’re discipling (spiritually mentoring) young people. But God basically told me, I need you to wait. I need you to go be a part of the community. I need you to know people. I need you to just spend time.
So, I got into our local high schools and one of our local drop-in centres, and I just started hanging around. The most important thing with young people is to be faithful and consistent.
I somehow started attracting all the Polynesian kids and building healthy relationships with them. When they found out I was a youth pastor and would be staying around, they started asking me questions. So, I started discipling young people. We’d catch up after school, in one of the local parks or whatever. And we’d open the Bible together.
Our tribe
At the beginning of this year, we started a program called Tribe. We meet on a Wednesday night and have dinner together, then the boys and girls split and we just open the Word (Bible).
I disciple the girls. I spend a lot of my week running around in the afternoons, going to meet kids after school and for dinner. The biggest part of my job is
Rachel loves her role mentoring youth.
catching up with kids in public places. Just hanging out with them, being where they are and giving them Jesus.
I see ‘my kids’ three to four times a week. On Friday mornings, I do a hot breakfast at the high school, and a wellbeing program at our local public primary schools, with kids who really struggle with school and have behavioural issues.
I love seeing kids actually get what the gospel is about. It’s hard, as anything good is, but I just love seeing kids meet Jesus. That’s my favourite thing.
– Rachel Gorringe
Rachel is a ministry assistant at Macquarie Fields Salvos
Great expectations for teenage girls
When Arabella Holley was a young high schooler, a girls’ group at North Brisbane Corps (Salvos church - NBC) had a profound impact on her life. Now 22, Arabella is the youth ministry coordinator at NBC and, as part of her role, runs the girls’ group – called Expectations – which is impacting the lives of other young women.
“It’s very special,” she says, “to now be making an open and safe space for young girls to explore their faith and learn life lessons. By doing a program like this, we can disciple [spiritually mentor] the girls and help them to then go out and disciple others.”
Chloe, who assists Arabella with Expectations, says, “As someone who has recently navigated the teenage years as a Christian, helping other girls get through that time is important to me.”
And girls love it! One participant said, “Expectations is a lovely way to connect with other girls my age and talk about things that we should know as we get older, like relationships and being a child of God. It’s a wonderful way of connecting and strengthening friendships in the church.”
Arabella explained that they are intentional about the girls doing most of the talking. “We are just there to facilitate the conversations, talk with and not at them, gently challenge them if needed, but basically, they lead the space,” she said. “And they can always talk to us
Arabella (left) and Chloe run Expectations, a girls’ group at North Brisbane Salvos.
privately if there is something they don’t want to share in the group.
“We’ve seen growth in the girls in their faith over the past few months, both in their involvement in the church [and] their faith conversations, too.
“We’ve grown in number, which is exciting, as the girls have been bringing along their school friends. This year we’ve been looking into women in the Bible and where we can learn from their character traits.
“Chloe and I have so much hope and excitement for how God plans to use this space to further the kingdom.”
– Fay Foster
Lighting the way
Finishing school, finding strength in family and inspiring the next generation of
young women
by Sarcha Taylor
I am a proud Pitjantjatjara, Kokotha, Noongar and Antakirinja young woman. My culture and family keep me strong and guide me in who I am today. I love going out bush, camping, cooking up and having a good feed of hot damper and kangaroo tail, which my nana and pop cook for us in a big camp oven. As a family, we love going out bush, sitting around the fire and yarning. Our family is very close, and we do a lot of things together. We love watching our little cousins play their sports or going tenpin bowling together. Family is pretty much everything to me.
Supporting others
One of the biggest things I’m proud of is finishing Year 12. It was hard at first to be at boarding school, but I quickly got used to it and made lots of friends. That was a big step for me. It gave me the confidence to keep going, as it will create opportunities for the future, and that's worth the effort.
I want other young people to know that finishing school is possible, and it opens so many doors. Education makes us stronger and creates paths for our future.
Right now, I’m doing a traineeship in electrical engineering with my cousin, and we are both
enjoying it. Sometimes it can be challenging, but exciting, and I’m learning new skills that I know will help me in the future.
I work hard because I know it’s not just for me. I'd love to encourage other young people to look for a trade or traineeship if that's the path they're drawn towards.
Sarcha has learned teamwork and resilience through sport.
Uluru is part of Sarcha's Country where she finds connection and strength. Sport is a big part of my life, too. I love football and basketball. Playing has taught me teamwork, leadership and resilience. It’s where I’ve made strong friendships and learnt to push myself.
I love the things I learn at training. Sport, for me, isn’t just about winning –it’s about bringing us all together, sharing culture, and encouraging each other to be our best. I have made lots of friends since playing sports and they have now become family.
Culture connection
I’m also a dancer with Dusty Feet Mob. Dancing connects me back to culture and gives me confidence, which is
something I used to lack. My family dances with me, and we love going into schools to share our stories through dance.
As a young person, I’ve been through some hard and tough times, but I’ve learnt to refocus, face them and move forward. Each problem I have had has made me stronger. I no longer shy away from hard things, and I now share my stories with other young women about being strong and keeping going.
I believe in reconciliation and that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity. It costs nothing to be kind, and sometimes we might be the only light someone
sees in their darkness. We need to care for and look after each other.
Most of all, I want to encourage young women like me. I love seeing them stand tall and proud. We are the next generation of leaders. We have a place in this world, so we deserve to stand up and make our own path. There are so many opportunities out there for us to look forward to if we keep strong and learn from our Elders. I have a strong mum and nana, and I want to be strong like them, be a leader, and make my family proud of the things I am trying to achieve.
I want my little sister to look at me and say, I want to be strong like my big sister.
PHOTO BY JASON HAM ON UNSPLASH
�� Honey Peach Jam
Ingredients
1kg peaches, ½ cup water, 1½ cups sugar, ½ cup honey
Method
Peel, halve, stone, then slice peaches and place in a saucepan with water, sugar and honey. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Bring to boil and continue boiling, for around 45 minutes, until jam jells.
Pour into hot, sterilised jars.
Seal and store.
Great for Christmas gifts.
Believe in Good: Tips
16 October – Dictionary Day
“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.”
– Blaise Pascal
1. Which famous nurse was nicknamed ‘the lady with the lamp’?
2. Which gifted mathematician is considered the world’s first computer programmer?
3. Who was the final ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty?
4. Which French military leader led an army at the age of 16?
5. Who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
On this day
14 October, 1947
Chuck Yeager, an American Air Force test pilot, became the first human to fly faster than the speed of sound when he flew a Bell X-1 experimental aircraft at Mach 1.07, at 45,000 ft.
15 October, 1951
I Love Lucy aired for the first time.
PHOTO BY FERNANDO ANDRADE ON UNSPLASH
PHOTO BY ALEXIA RODRIQUEZ ON UNSPLASH
Have a laugh
I wanted to buy a camouflage shirt …
I went to the doctor because my shirts were creased.
Why does Wally wear a stripy shirt?
�� Word search
But I couldn’t see any. He said I probably had an iron deficiency. He doesn’t want to be spotted. He can never change.
Never go out with a guy who only owns one shirt …
Never borrow shirts from the Hulk …
They come with too much wear and tear.
Tum-Tum
On which page of this week’s Salvos Magazine is Tum-Tum hiding?
Answers
Tum-Tum: is hiding
Words are hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forwards and backwards. Enjoy!
Bellbird
Cockatiel
Cockatoo
Curlew
Emu
Hawk
Heron
Honeyeater
Ibis
Kingfisher
Kookaburra
Lyrebird
Magpie Owl
Pelican
Penguin
Rosella
Sparrow
Swallow
Swan
Turkey
Wagtail
Warbler
Whipbird
“In Christ’s family there can be no division ... Among us you are all equal.”
Galatians chapter 3, verse 28 The Message translation
