Getting her class to delve deeper into the Albury-Wodonga Winter Solstice wasn't a "hard sell", says Wodonga Senior Secondary College teacher Jess Kellahan.
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In fact the VCAL students have been so enthusiastic about exploring the themes and origins of the annual event they have made it one of their subjects.
Ms Kellahan said students had embraced the opportunity to turn their attention to issues that resonated so strongly with youth, including mental health and suicide prevention.
They have been hard at work studying presentations by past speakers ("Stan Grant was a must"), fundraising and researching the vital social issues connected with the event that began in 2013.
On Wednesday, the class launched a video to promote the 2020 virtual Albury-Wodonga Winter Solstice on June 21 to WSSC students and the wider school community.
The virtual format has presented the ideal platform for students to take their learning to the next level and connect in a meaningful way with the community, according to Ms Kellahan, who has been a long-standing supporter of the event personally.
"The VCAL program has a subject called personal development skills centred on community engagement, which includes 100 hours of physical participation in the community," she said.
"When you ask kids what gets you fired up, a lot of teenagers don't know what they are an advocate for ... but the Winter Solstice is something they can connect with because youth mental health is such an important issue in their lives."
Through the Videos For Change program, students were encouraged to make a one-minute video about a social issue they connect with; most of the class chose the Winter Solstice.
"They have made their own individual videos answering the question: Why is the Winter Solstice important for our community?" Ms Kellahan said.
"Some of their responses were quite personal and they didn't want that to be shared publicly so we made a group video as a collective.
"We wrote a script on the board, divided it into segments and then edited it."
The video has been shared to the school's Instagram and Facebook sites, which has a reach of about 3000 students, teachers, parents and family.
"Be part of an important and powerful event ... join in solidarity as a community and look after one another," one student says.
"Help us shine a light on the darkest night; join together united as one in difficult times," another adds.
The school will also share the Winter Solstice feed via its own Facebook page on June 21.
