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Community Engagement Tasmania Society (COMET)

About us

COMET is a social justice project which aims to support and empower disadvantaged youth. COMET provides an opportunity for current law students at the University of Tasmania to run workshops at various youth shelters and schools in the greater Hobart area discussing key concepts and responsibilities under the Tasmanian Criminal Law.

Young people are at high risk of becoming offenders or victims of crime, particularly those experiencing homelessness. This is partly because young people find it difficult to understand the law and, as a result, do not understand what their rights and obligations are.

COMET runs engaging, accessible and informative education sessions to assist youth to make informed decisions. Participants are encouraged to consider the legal consequences of actions, and are afforded the opportunity to gain some basic legal insight.

COMET aims to make a positive societal impact at a grassroots level by providing youth with an informal support network, and directing session participants towards appropriate services when necessary.

The Workshops

Workshops focus on the following criminal and civil law topics:

  • Police Powers
  • Sexual Offences
  • Assault and Wounding
  • Stealing
  • Drug offences
  • Communications and Technology (Social Media)
  • Renting
  • Employment

What's involved in a session?

COMET workshops take place in various Tasmanian youth shelters and schools. The sessions are designed to be as interactive as possible. Facilitators aim to familiarise participants with criminal and civil law concepts and responsibilities in a relaxed and informal manner by engaging in various activities and generating group discussion. Participants are often presented with hypothetical scenarios and are given the opportunity to ask questions regarding their legal rights and obligations.

COMET workshops take place in various Tasmanian youth shelters, and we are in the process of expanding our Schools Program into local Hobart schools.

Committee

Headshot of Mia Grant

President

Mia Grant

Headshot of Phoebe Winter

Vice-President

Phoebe Winter

Headshot of Dara Campell

Secretary

Dara Campell

Headshot of Anusha Ganti

Treasurer

Anusha Ganti

Headshot of Laura Harrison

General Representative Coordinator

Laura Harrison

Headshot of Claudia Balmforth

School Liaison Officer

Claudia Balmforth

Headshot of Darcy Heffernan

Education Officer

Darcy Heffernan

Headshot of Ruby Burling

Sponsorship & Marketing Officer

Ruby Burling

Want to get involved?

Would you like to give back to your community? Help educate youth about the law in a fun causal and collaborative environment? Then becoming a General Representative could be the role for you!

COMET is a practical way for you to use and expand your legal knowledge to make a positive difference at the grassroots level in our local community, while working to reduce disadvantages and increase equality.

The role of a General Representative includes going to youth shelters and schools to educate the participants about different areas of law and assist them in understanding what rights they have.

If you are interested in joining the COMET Team, please email us to express your interest and we will let you know when opportunities become available. You can also follow us on Facebook to keep up with our activities and news.

Contact us

Sandy Bay
PO Box 5055
University of Tasmania
SANDY BAY TAS 7005