Year 11 student Emily Woods is making a positive impact in the community in which she lives and will one day work through dedicating her time to activities that assist others.
Emily started a journey of giving through St Margaret's community service program when she was in Year 7.
“I recall how anxious I was at the prospect of befriending an elderly person. However, this was a wonderful experience. By complete coincidence, my elderly person's sister was an Old Girl of St Margaret’s. We had lots of lovely conversations about the school as it was back then, and I was able to go to the archives and find a picture of her sister which she loved.
“This experience led to my sister and I volunteering at an aged care facility. We helped the residents play games, assisted with their exercise and just spent time chatting. I got to know one elderly lady very well and was even able to help her do some online shopping as she really loved the poncho I was wearing and wanted one for herself. Many of the elderly residents have no visitors and our company really made their day. These experiences taught me how a little of my time could really change someone’s quality of life,” recalls Emily.
Emily’s dedication to servant leadership emanated from St Margaret’s service learning program which aims to inspire students to develop a life-long commitment to giving and involves community service as part of the greater education curriculum in both the primary and secondary schools.
Secondary students are issued with a passport at the beginning of Year 7 in which they record their service experiences and log their hours with each experience signed off by a qualified assessor.
Year 7 students complete their ‘Service to the Elderly’ with a pen-pal project, while Year 8s participate in ‘Service through Faith’ by assisting at services and celebrations, as well as other work in local parishes.
Students in Years 9 – 12 are given the option to complete their service in areas of personal interest with many choosing to continue their work with local churches while others choose to develop relationships with local not-for-profit organisations.
St Margaret’s Service Learning Coordinator Ms Alford says providing opportunities for students to participate in service learning was an important facet of nurturing the whole child.
“Service learning is about looking out and looking up and looking beyond oneself to those around us. Understanding from firsthand experience the situations and circumstances of others is imperative to the education of the whole child. A Living Faith community provides essential experiences to complement the teaching of the Church. They are learning through action and reflection on these actions. They are sharing their experiences with others in the school community and promoting the ethos of Anglicanism.
“Emily’s community service experiences are absolutely Servant Leadership in action. She embodies the Anglican faith by her generosity of heart and attitude of putting aside her own needs for the betterment of those around her. She is loving and serving others as Christ loves us,” says Ms Alford.
Emily also actively volunteers at the Gaythorne RSL and the ANZAC Day march and is working on a proposal for St Margaret’s girls to act as companions for veterans needing assistance at the march.
“These elderly veterans rarely go into the city and often decide not to attend the parade as they are too daunted by the prospect of finding their way. This small act of service could allow these men and women to experience ANZAC Day and enjoy the accolades they deserve,” says Emily.
For Ms Alford, it has been rewarding to see Emily grow spiritually throughout her years of participation in service learning projects.
“Through Emily’s involvement in service learning, she has confronted situations of personal discomfort and disappointment in humanity, and has practised kindness, organisation, and empathy in bucket loads. Her awareness or consciousness of her world and the people and situations within it has been illuminated a little more with each experience. Emily’s spirit has grown stronger, firmer and she has a quiet confidence about her that stems from her ever-expanding panoramic frame of reference,” she says.
Reflecting on her community service experiences to date, Emily says: “For me, one act of service has led to another and the Community Service Program has given me the motivation to seek out opportunities where I really can make a difference. Service is not just about giving to other people. Through these acts of service I have also achieved great personal satisfaction”.