Over the last 3 weeks half of the Year 11 Touchstones students have been actively involved in volunteering either at the College working on various projects, or at some of the local community organisations, such as Big Group Hug, Scared Heart and Vinnies Op Shops. They have represented themselves and the College admirably, and I have received excellent feedback from the participating agencies about their attitude, engagement, and contribution. Many have gained a greater awareness of the needs of many less fortunate and have responded with empathy.
The Big Group Hug located in Thomastown is a great initiative that I was fortunate to be a part of. Some key highlights of the day included unboxing donated goods, speaking with the volunteers about their role for the organisation and assembling children's strollers. It was a great experience, and I encourage students of the future to assist the organisation by lending a helping hand and/or donating.
Blake Turnbull Year 11 T08
I participated in was Community Action’s Eddy’s Backpacks project where filled backpacks are donated to foster children that are often taken out of their homes with no notice as it may be dangerous for them to stay.
During my 3-week period of volunteering I did many tasks such as packing backpacks and writing a letter to go in the bag. I helped to sort through donations. I really enjoyed what I was doing as it made me feel I had accomplished something worthwhile. It is nice working for an important organisation, and it makes me feel happy that these resources are going to good use.
Christian Galgano Year 11 B03
Overall, our project to plan a winter coat and blanket donation campaign seemed like a very simple task, however, we were kept busy, from implementing creativity in making posters and decorating the boxes, to researching and learning about the facts of rough sleepers in Melbourne. We learned a lot.
There are thousands of rough sleepers in Melbourne, and it takes a collective effort to fix this major issue. With our campaign boxes we are giving our Parade community the opportunity to donate their second-hand winter coats, warm hoodies, and blankets to rough sleepers. Homelessness is an issue that will sadly always be present, although collecting warm winter coats does help to make the very cold Melbourne winter more bearable for those on the street, there are still many things that must be done by all of us, the government, and other leaders to ensure an end of this problem.
Sam Materia Year 11 T02 and Luke Gheno Year 11 N01
I worked on the Handover HeARTwork for my volunteering. The Handover HeARTwork Project is an initiative that links schools, craft groups and local communities with hospitals and palliative care units. We decorated brown bags and wrote messages to the families who may have lost loved ones who were in palliative care.
It has an impact of allowing small acts of creativity and compassion to provide emotional support during difficult times.
Most people who have participated in this are secondary schools, local artists, community craft groups and individuals.
Noah Colaci Year 11 L04
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