Community and Service
UnitingCare West Conference
The theme of the recent UnitingCare West Social Justice Conference was 'Civil Society'. Presenters included Sue Ash AO, CEO of Uniting Care West, and Western Australian Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, Allanah Lucas. Representatives from Scotch and other Uniting Church schools in WA provided insights into their roles in the realm of civil society through service-learning programmes.
All schools represented believe that their students need to experience service as a way of better understanding the inequalities in world, the need for social justice and the positive role played by individuals and agencies. UnitingCare West is the largest non-government service provider in Australia and many of its local agencies presented at the conference. This provided a great opportunity for the schools to understand the extent of need within our community and the great urgency to support the most venerable - increasingly whole families with young children.
Sue Ash spoke of Civil Society as the 'glue' that held together commercial entities (The Market), the State and Individuals. Without non-government agencies (NGO's) operating in the space, a lot more people locally, nationally and globally would 'fall through the cracks' of society. Schools like Scotch play an important role within civil society. Aside from sending out students to 'make a difference' locally nationally or globally and fundraising in support of established NGO's, the message of need can be spread throughout the Scotch community network.
The core values of Integrity, Service and Stewardship inform the Scotch Model of Service. Building upon this framework, Scotch College influences the actions of our community. The stories of our boys in service action, when acknowledged through a shared responsibility to 'make a difference' can stimulate positive change in a much broader realm.
Romily House Encounter
The encounters boys have in the service programme can leave a lasting impression and deliver a strong lifestyle message. Boys going to Romily House on Shenton Road recently met Daniel, a young man who progressively developed a drug habit and behaviours that ultimately led to jail for a violent assault. Time spent in jail and then Graylands Hospital with paranoid schizophrenia have had a profound impact on Daniel. As a resident of Romily House, he is hopeful of regaining a productive life in the community, although, with a criminal record, finding employment is difficult.
When our boys hear directly from the likes of Daniel, the message hits home. They come to understand that life choices can have unexpected and sometimes tragic consequences. Daniel was very clear and strong in his message and it was a powerful example of the benefits of direct, supervised interaction with diverse members of our community.
