Citizenship and Service

Citizen ship an d Servi ce

We encourage participation in local, national and international service to help foster compassion and to enhance the lives of others.

Through Learning that Matters, we are committed to the holistic education of each Beaconhills student and offer a variety of opportunities and choices that enable our students to give back and be actively involved in the broader community. A meaningful and purpose driven College Citizenship and Service program, based on the College value of Compassion invites and encourages participation of all members of our College Community.

Benefit Mindset

We see Benefit Mindset as a natural framework in which we grow and develop our College Service programs. The framework focuses on “eco” leadership as opposed to “ego” leadership in service programs. It is about the powerful connectivity between “being well” and “doing good.” The Benefit Mindset describes everyday people who discover their strengths to make valuable contributions to causes that are greater than self, people who believe in making a meaningful difference and position their actions within a purposeful context. The significance of Benefit Mindset is that a large collaborative organisation such as Beaconhills College, has the capacity to “Shape a Future of Greater Possibility” and to be a community that advocates for respect, global prosperity and social justice for all. We see the 2016 United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a guiding influence for many of our programs and we aim to inspire our community with an understanding that every individual person can make a difference in our broader community

The Three T’s of Service at Beaconhills

We recognise that individual choice has an impact on the effectiveness of successful service programs. We see the concept of choice as a stepping stone to the development and understanding of passion for serving others, developing compassion and developing lifelong habits. We invite service participation through:

• Time • Talent • Treasure

Our Little Beacons children are involved in the opportunities below, however there is a much wider array for our whole College community.

Local

• Winter Coat Drive • College Veggie garden produce • Donated to the Berwick Vinnies Soup Van • College Year 8 students have embraced the opportunity to volunteer at Little Beacons during term holidays.

National

• The Cancer Council Relay for Life

• We invite all members of our College community families from Little Beacons, Junior Schools, Middle

Schools, Year 9 and Senior schools to join one of the Beacon of Hope teams participating in the Cardinia or

Casey Relay for Life events in February or March each year. All funds raised contribute to the Cancer

Council Victoria Research and Development programs. Further information and details can be found in attached documentation. • Linen for Wildlife Drive and Collection • In Term 1 we invite all of our community to donate any good quality towels, blankets and pillow cases they may no longer need. We know there are many generous members of our wider community who care for wildlife and unwanted or unwell animals. This is our opportunity to support the wonderful work of these generous people. There is always a need for towels, pillow cases and blankets. Please note that sheets are not suitable to donate to these organisations. • FeedMelbourne and FareShare – FeedMelbourne in May • Over the last two years our College has been recognised as a highly valued and generous supporter of the

FeedMelbourne Winter appeal. In 2018 we donated 1030 kgs of pasta, plain flour and tinned tomatoes to the FeedMelbourne Appeal. The outcome of our kindness was a significant contribution to 6,500 warm nutritious meals. We hope to build on this success over the coming years. • Indigenous Education – The Open Doors Foundation • The College supports education programs for indigenous students so that literacy and numeracy skills can be developed and enhanced. • Drought support

International

• East Timor and Vietnam • Bangladesh • Solar Buddy Program