CHARITY & COMMUNITY
challenges faced by the volunteers, I decided to arrange training that would better prepare each of us for delivering the services required of us. Some of you may have never realised how difficult it can be to make a child sit down, listen, engage and learn a new topic before their attention span runs out; it can be as short as two minutes! I organised a training session with a teacher and also documented many of the tips and advice in a handbook that other volunteers can use. Furthermore, to improve our understanding of how the students who undertake community action progress, I created a new online system to monitor their experience; this enabled us to learn how to offer the best experience possible for those contributing to and benefiting from the programme. There were two community action projects, in particular, that became very important for me. Firstly, I enjoyed spending time with the residents of the Dulwich Almshouse; I was able to engage in so many meaningful and memorable discussions with them. I have had the privilege of inviting and coordinating several events for the some of the members of the Almshouse, inviting them to our school production of Grease ; performances by the Chapel Choir, the College’s Choral and Orchestral Concert in the Southwark Cathedral; and lectures at the local Literary Festival. I have also enjoyed visiting our newly established partner school City Heights Academy, where I helped to establish their prefects and, in consultation with senior staff, we discussed a range of proposals and ideas for ways to improve their student experience. Also, to continue to develop our partnership, I have invited several students from City Heights to join our celebrations of our second International Day; they did a wonderful job in setting up a Portuguese stall that everybody enjoyed. Most importantly, my involvement with community action has highlighted my appreciation for the shared benefits; our students are also rewarded with multiple benefits from participating in these projects. The many moments that subtly imprint on you, such as when your entrance into a situation or a room changes the atmosphere and you become a role model or an empathetic listening ear. Equally, I learnt so much from those that I worked with – their experiences and observations were shared with us. Thus, I think that Gandhi’s observation captures our stance on community action: ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others’.
43
Made with FlippingBook Online document