The Diplomat's Club is a student club that was created at the beginning of 2022 for the express purpose of discussion. As online media brings us news of the events happening in our global community, particularly the invasion of Ukraine, many students here at St Margaret Mary’s have felt the need to have a space to discuss not only what is happening, but also its causes and effects. With the help of our teachers, Ms Burke, Ms O’Connell, and Mr Leete, students from Years 10-12 are learning how to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources, determine how to hold a good debate, as well as analyse points of view and find biases in information. 

With a range of different political topics to choose from, at the Diplomat's Club we first chose to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the history between the two countries. This was and still is a particularly interesting topic as this very serious conflict continues. We were able to discuss every aspect of this, such as what are the roots of this conflict, where do we get our information, and how do we know we can trust it? This led us to discuss how to determine if a source is reliable as most news sites tend to be biased. As well as looking at fact-checking which further helps to determine the reliability of a source, the role of social media, the spread of deep fakes that is essentially propaganda, the rise of digital warfare and hacktivism. We also discussed Putin's future plans for Ukraine, NATO, what Putin thinks of NATO, the Warsaw Pact and more closely why Russia invaded Ukraine to begin with.  This topic was so interesting to learn about and helped us gain a better understanding and a new perspective on the War in Ukraine. Why is it happening?  What started it and what is happening? 

After this topic, we moved onto an important event in Australian politics, the Federal Election. This is an important topic that is most relevant in Australia today. We have tried out the ABC Vote Compass which helps us to understand which parties we should vote for based on our own ideologies and beliefs. We also discussed what each party's representative candidates stand for, the role of the Australian Electoral Commission, and what voting actually looks like, which will assist us all one day in the near or more distant future. To gain a further understanding of each party such as Liberal, Labor and Green, we discussed and examined what each party says about certain issues such as education, climate change and health; all things that concern us directly. 

What does the future of the Diplomats’ Club look like? So far we’ve paid close attention to the political state of the world, from Ukraine and Russia, Australia’s federal election, the rise of the far right and even the Depp v Heard trial, but what comes next? In the near future, we plan to have meetings focused on post-modern feminism and past, present, and even future social movements. On a less serious note, we will also look at the burning issues in today’s world of arts and literature. Conversations and potentially debates on Beatles or Stones; Count Dracula or Nosferatu; and what is the place of Rom-Coms in modern society? This is not the end though, the world is constantly moving and evolving, there will always be something new in the media to talk about. The future of the Diplomats’ Club is looking bright, and with the help of our wonderful teachers Ms Burke, Miss O’Connell and Mr Leete the club will definitely continue for years to come.