Students from Melbourne Catholic Colleges give up their Friday evenings to help refugees

Above: It is wall to wall, tutors, students and school bags on Friday night at St Ignatius Hall, Richmond

Melbourne Catholic recently paid a visit to the Friday Night School, a unique charity offering tutoring for migrant and refugee students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

The program, available to pre-schoolers, primary and secondary students as well as their parents, was established in 1996 by Margaret Gurry AM.

Richmond's St Ignatius' Parish hall hosts approximately 200 students each week that are tutored by dedicated secondary school students from a variety of Melbourne's schools including:

• Xavier College
• Genazzano FCJ College
• Loreto Mandeville Hall
• Star of the Sea College
• Sacre Coeur
• St Kevin's College

The students and tutors arrive at St Ignatius brimming with energy and enthusiasm despite the regular school week having already culiminated.

The progam's particpants travel from various corners of Melbourne to be a part of the sessions on the cusp of the weekend, with some former students now giving back and tutoring.

Read More and see video at: http://melbournecatholic.org.au/News/friday-night-school-learning-teaching-belonging