Helping students become aware of their ability, responsibility and opportunity to enact change in the world is a characteristic Arden holds dear and actively encourages within its School community.
Students have numerous opportunities to find their voice throughout their educational journey. Starting in the early years, students soon discover that being young is no barrier for enacting change.
For some students this opportunity first arises when they have the opportunity to represent the student body through being a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC). Here they are encouraged to suggest ideas for improvements to the School and then convince others to support these ideas, while working as part of a team.
Reflecting on the first SRC meeting for Term 2, Mr David Watkins, Head of Junior School, said, “This term, I have already noted several moments of people wanting to make a difference. The proposal which the children elected to support came from Year 6. The Year 6 children had suggested they could organise some ‘Tutoring sessions’ using their skills to help younger students in the School. Perhaps a child may need help learning their tables; have trouble understanding a concept; need assistance with learning to draw/type/design – every Year 6 child has a talent and this is their chance to ‘make a difference’ – I am impressed.”
For others having the opportunity to serve the School in an official leadership position teaches not only important personal leadership skills, but also the importance of having a servant-hearted mindset. Many students show leadership and/or initiative in an area of special interest. Groups such as the Gardening Club (Junior School), Environment Group (Secondary School) and Social Justice Group instantly come to mind. Then there are specific projects/events in which students choose to become involved, as they believe the cause is important. Examples include the Cambodia and Vietnam Mission; Prefect organised events such as the Boys’ Bash, Girls’ Night In and Hire a Hero events; and the Students With a Mission (SWAM) Knit In.
In all these endeavours, staff are passionate about encouraging and teaching students to firstly find their voice and then help them to use their voice effectively in a safe and nurturing environment. From here the students often start to see the ripples of change one small voice can make.
Mrs Karen Moss is the Coordinator of both the Social Justice Group (SJG) and Environment Group. Both these groups continuously encourage and challenge students to use their voice and in doing so empower the students to be agents of change. Take for example SJG’s Live Below the Line challenge in Term 2. Gaining a personal understanding of the practical realities of poverty is an important part of developing as a global citizen. The challenge involved students choosing to live for one day on just $2, the globally recognised line of poverty.
This year the SJG wanted to take the concept to the whole School with the aim of educating the broader School community about what extreme poverty is really like; while raising funds for Oak Tree, a movement of young people fighting to end poverty.
The group decided to offer a Dine Below the Line experience whereby members of the School community could purchase a simple, yet filling vegetarian pasta lunch at a cost of $2 and were also encouraged to make that portion their only meal for the day. Additionally, around 15 students chose to take on the 5 day challenge of Live Below the Line to gain a deeper experience and raise additional funds for Oak Tree.
Mrs Moss shared that students found the experience to be very confronting, particularly when you realise that this is an ongoing daily challenge for those in poverty. “I felt what it is like to have consistent hunger,” said Anna Hall.
However, the Social Justice Group hoped that by temporarily ‘stepping inside’ the food experience of someone living in poverty, students would feel challenged to think further about how they can bring change to the lives of these people.
The Environment Group has been discussing issues which will engage the students, enabling them to make change at a grass roots level. Mrs Moss reported that Recycling has thus been a key topic this year and has been discussed in depth at the group, raised at assemblies and promoted at School via posters.
All students have been challenged to more effectively recycle in three key ways. Firstly, by encouraging more recycling at School. This has involved the group members meeting with various stakeholders to make some positive changes. For example, recycling is being encouraged at major School events including the Girls’ Night In, Boys’ Bash, Dine Below the Line and House fundraising days.
To assist with this, Orangutan recycling bins have been installed, to visually remind the students of the link between recycling and ensuring sustainability of both habitats and species.
Secondly, students have been encouraged to recycle not only at School, but also at home. Finally, students have been encouraged to earn money from recycling products and then consider donating some of that money to support the saving of the orangutans’ project.
Cordealia Evans, 2018 Environment Group Prefect, described her vision for the group, “We must remember that the environment is not just yours or mine. Rather, it belongs to future generations and it is therefore essential that we nurture and care for it, ensuring we educate ourselves about the most pressing environmental issues of our times.”
She summarised Arden students’ attitudes well when she concluded, “Knowing will never be enough. Lobbying for change and taking action is what we as a group must be committed to achieving. Those who are passionate about the environment should not be afraid to stand up and express their opinion and continue to share their knowledge with others. We must be the change we want to see in the world.”
Photo: Behind Dine Below The Line were hard working chefs Kate Egan, Noah Moss, Mrs Justine Egan, Tara Lamb, Laura Penn, Isobel Bennett and Kaela Sharpe.