Helen Connolly
Helen Connolly, Commissioner for Children and Young People SA, shared her story in response to questions from our alumni team. Helen graduated from the University with a Bachelor of Economics.
I was extremely proud to be appointed South Australia’s inaugural Commissioner for Children and Young People in 2017. I want all children to feel safe, included and protected, and to have opportunities to participate in their community while feeling hopeful about their own and their generation’s future.
I am driven by doing all I can to change broken systems and outdated rules impacting on children and young people in ways that are making their lives hard or unnecessarily difficult. This includes changing the mindset of adults who allow children and young people to fall through the cracks, and to removing barriers to accessing the support they need.
I truly have been inspired by the children and young people I’ve met over the past seven years. They’ve told me that they want to be known, valued, have a voice, a purpose and hope for the future. I’ve done everything I can think of to make this a reality, and to do this in ways that are inclusive, participatory and kind, always being accountable to them.
Helen Connolly with three children at a kindergarten in Mt Gambier
What I’m most proud of is the commitment I made at the outset to genuinely listen to children and young people. I wanted to authentically give them a voice on those issues that are most important to them, and to do that I needed to hear directly from them. I’ve been working to create multiple opportunities for their ideas, creativity, lived experiences and concerns to be communicated to me, so I could know what these were, and influence relevant decision makers to bring about change. I spend equal amounts of time with children and young people, as I do with adults, and I can assure you that kids know instantly if you’re interested in them or not. They can sniff out a “fake” at 100 metres!
My primary school Student Voice Postcards initiative is one of my favourites. It’s been a great way for me to get insight into the lives of children aged 8-12 years whose voices are not often heard. Through this rare opportunity to hear what’s going on in their lives, they tell me, through handwritten messages and drawings, what matters to them most. So far, I’ve received 65,000 postcards with another 20,000 expected to be returned this year — and yes, my team and I do read them all!
"I truly have been inspired by the children and young people I’ve met over the past seven years. They’ve told me that they want to be known, valued, have a voice, a purpose and hope for the future."
Like most kids in the ‘70s my teenage life was relatively free range – I spent my time exploring the neighbourhood, going on family holidays, and enjoying an ‘extended family’ made up of ‘others’ who had also emigrated from the UK like my family had.
Helen Connolly's school photo from 1972 - she is pictured in the top left corner
I still catch up with close friends from my school days, and according to them my ambition was to be Prime Minister of Australia and to have six children. Well, I did have five children! But I’ve probably left my run a bit late for the PM gig.
I was not scared to say what I thought, and boy did I make sure everyone knew what my thoughts were! It would be fair to say I was no angel at school, and that pushing the boundaries and risk-taking were traits I honed during my adolescence. But my education instilled in me principles around justice and feminism, and a drive to make the world a better place. I understood that I had opportunity and privilege and that this meant I should, wherever possible, act with compassion and mercy towards all people.
"My education instilled in me principles around justice and feminism, and a drive to make the world a better place. I understood that I had opportunity and privilege and that this meant I should, wherever possible, act with compassion and mercy towards all people."
Helen Connolly spent five years travelling the world after completing her degree
I remember my days at Uni of Adelaide well. Life was slower and we spent a lot of time in face-to-face classes and being pre the Internet era we needed books to do assignments. So we hung around the Uni most days and sat at the same study table in the Barr Smith basement with a group of likeminded students - many of whom I still see around the traps now. The rest of the time I was drinking coffee in the Cellar under Union Hall, eating lunch on the lawns, watching great bands at the Uni bar, and attending all-night movie sessions on bean bags in the Union theatre. I used to love a good footlight revue too. I remain in contact with many of the people I went to Uni with, which I guess is ‘so Adelaide’.
I would love to say that I had a calling, or a burning desire to work in community services. But to be honest after completing my Bachelor of Economics I took off on the grand overseas adventure - came back 5 years later and then fell into social work and found I really loved it. Embracing a career in human services was literally life changing. It was when what I thought about the world and what I believed in came into sync – including how I wanted to be and what I wanted to change.
If you are someone who has a strong sense of social justice and who likes to make a difference in the lives of those around you, I would say ‘go for it’. Some of the things you’ll see are incredibly sad and frustrating, and you will at times be outraged by how slowly things change. Systemic advocacy is never achieved by one single person. It’s a collective effort, which relies upon people working together to bring about change at levels that are often complex and interconnected.