Serving at home and abroad

By Mrs Natasha Clark, Chaplain | Roseville College, NSW

While service learning has historically been associated with overseas trips, the last few years have encouraged students to look closer to home. Working with the Anglican Church has enabled Roseville students to put love into action locally, in Sydney and around the world.

As a part of the Virtual Visiting program, Year 7 students engage in weekly conversations, sharing a virtual morning tea with Anglicare aged care residents, experiencing inter-generational connection, learning and community. The program has enabled our students to understand how something as simple as a conversation can be a powerful act of service.

To learn about their city more broadly, Year 11 students have partnered with St John’s Darlinghurst and Rough Edges to understand and respond to homelessness in Sydney. Students volunteer weekly at the Rough Edges Cafe, providing hospitality to those sleeping rough. The café is described as “a lounge room for people who may not have a lounge room”. For our students, it has been an opportunity to meet and learn from a new community, understanding the reality of life in their city for so many.

Education also means equipping students to be effective global citizens. The College partners with schools in Bunda, Tanzania to support girls’ education. Supported by Anglican Aid, Shalom Primary School and Bunda Girls Secondary School provide a safe education for more than 300 students. Each year, our youngest Rosie girls celebrate 100 days of Kindergarten with a service initiative to fundraise for these schools. In 2023, we were delighted that a family from the College had the opportunity to visit the schools in person; the first opportunity since Covid.

Partnering with the Anglican Church in service learning gives students the opportunity to see, and participate in, the love of Christ in action at home, in their city and around the world.