Mercy Is: Young Mercy Links

June 30, 2025

In her poem Mercy Is, Mary Wickham writes that “[Mercy’s] feet are calloused from long roads trudged with refugee and beggar.” Recently, Young Mercy Links (YML) have walked along roads alongside people from the community, both figuratively and literally.  

In May, we held a walkathon to raise funds for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Cambodia, in anticipation of the member immersion to Cambodia later this year. The walk took YML members, family, friends and supporters around the Torrens River in Adelaide for a total of 10kms. We also utilised the walk to clean up the riverbank, leaving the area better than we found it and showing gratitude for the beautiful environment that we have around us. Through the walk, YML raised over $2,000 for JRS, which is an incredible testament to the power of community and solidarity.

YML have also been walking alongside refugees in our work with Circle of Friends. We’ve held several initiatives this year focused on connecting with vulnerable migrant families who live in Adelaide. Our Mother’s Day Picnic allowed us to express gratitude for the strength of some incredible women who have made many sacrifices for their family.

Our swimming day focused on giving migrant children opportunities to experience things they are rarely able to, such as swimming lessons (important for Adelaidean beaches), water activities and a day of being a kid. Walking even a part of the road with these families who have faced extraordinary hardship has allowed incredible relationships to flourish between families and members and between the families themselves, creating a long-lasting and sustainable community.

Other exciting pathways for YML this year have included our Election Essentials information night in the lead up to Australia’s Federal Election, where we focused on how to vote with our own values, with an emphasis on First Nations, refugee and environmental policies. We also hosted a joint Grampians trip between YML SA and Victoria to reflect on Australia’s incredible ecological wonders.

YML has many more roads to walk, with plans to participate in a Winter Sleep Out with Year 12s at St Aloysius College, Adelaide to raise funds for homelessness, an upcoming Cambodia immersion and water advocacy in the works (not that we can walk on water, but we’re trying). YML continues to work hard to live up to what Mercy is, after all, “She makes strong cups of tea, cup after cup.” And Young Mercy Links certainly has many cups of tea to make.

Written by Katelin Lawrie, Young Mercy Links SA Program Support

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