A GROUP of Illaroo Road Public School students took on an important cause on Tuesday.
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Year 6 students Sophie Mudditt, Olivia Hodgkins, Elizabeth Rutherford and Lacy Fortnum-Jones took it upon themselves to raise awareness of the plight of 200 Nigerian girls abducted by Boko Haram militants in April.
They took part in the Bring Back our Girls campaign.
The 11 and 12-year-old girls showed leadership that defied their ages.
“A lot of people have forgotten about the girls and it’s no longer in the news,” Sophie said.
“We wanted to raise awareness on the issue and force the government to act.”
They believe everyone has a right to receive an education and live in safe communities.
Once they had permission from principal Graham Tink, the girls swung into action.
They spoke at an assembly and rallied support from their peers.
“People were coming up to us and asking how they could help,” Sophie said.
They organised for a mass group photo to be taken where the words “Bring Back Our Girls” were spelt out.
The young leaders will post their photo on Facebook as part of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign.
The girls would hate to be taken away from their families.
“We are so lucky to live in Australia,” Sophie said.
The girls are also members of MAD-YJ which is short for making a difference.
MAD-YJ is a youth group for children aged between 11 and 14 years of age.
They are encouraged to think of the needs of their community and be agents for positive change.