Gazette January 2020
40
C H A R AC T E R DE V E L O P M E N T
Community Outreach Service Program The most recent phase of Community Outreach, which occurred from Term 4 (2018) to the end of Term 2 (2019), proved to be very satisfying, both for the Kingsmen who participated and for the organisations that accepted our volunteers. Working in Courtlands aged care facilities, boys maintained consistent service, interacting with the residents by reading to them, playing dominos, engaging in conversation and completing craft activities. These activities, being such a success, were then replicated in Fairlea Aged Care in Harris Park, Arrunga Aged Care in Ermington, Arcare in Oatlands, Poplars in Epping and the Anglican Retirement Villages in Castle Hill.
Another continuous supporter of the program is Old Government House, offering a different opportunity for the students to provide service to the community. Here the boys learnt the joys of gardening, property maintenance and historical context. This season of Community Outreach also engaged, in a small way, with Arden Prep School, where our Kingsmen sought to pay back the school that prepared them so well for life at King’s. This structure of Community Outreach has served the School well over the many years it has been in place. Spread over two terms, students are allocated to a preselected group of agencies servicing them for a minimum of 60 hours of community engagement. Although, initially set up as an alternative for the Cadet Corps and its physical demands; the Community Outreach program is demanding and challenging in its own way. It provides the opportunity to develop leadership through service, the same goal as the Corps. The future of this program should be secure, as it could easily grow to accommodating all boys Years 10 to 12, creating a Community Outreach cohort that lasts for two years, ensuring the boys are gainfully and equitably occupied during Corps, until Camps Week in Year 12, where boys may select to undertake Work Experience activities.
Given that Community Outreach serves the purpose outlined above, there exists the plan to include Community Outreach as a Corps Platoon. In this model, boys elect to join the Platoon, rather than leave Corps. The King’s School is currently redefining its commitment to community involvement, seeking to expand its presence in the area of Service Leadership. A multi-tiered approach is anticipated: Year Groups each take an area of responsibility and community involvement, possibly with a Charity, and each House takes responsibility and community involvement with different charities or agencies. This would suggest that Community Outreach remains aloof from, yet related to, this structure. Ultimately, the Community Outreach Program is an immediate public face, the service face, of The King’s School in the wider Parramatta and Hills district. It is highly valued and respected, teaching boys valuable life skills.
David Strutt Community Outreach Program Coordinator
