Transformative Power of Service

Service has a profound effect on individuals, transforming them into catalysts for change and inspiring acts of compassion. In this spirit, the Boys' School has placed a great emphasis on fostering a spirit of service among its students. With several ongoing service initiatives, there is always a way for our community to get involved. Additionally, our Middle School boys have the chance to earn a Ready to Serve Passport, while our Year 7 and 8 students can work on their Saint Kentigern service awards which acknowledge their dedication to making a positive impact.

Hāngi for the Homeless is one such collaboration with the organisation Sunday Blessings. Parents, staff, and Years 6 to 8 students come together once a month to provide a nourishing hāngi meal to the central Auckland community. Sunday Blessings has created significant change with its efforts from the seed of a simple belief: no one should have to rummage through rubbish bins for sustenance. The unique aspect of their partnership with Saint Kentigern Boys’ School lies in the enablement and contribution of young community members such as our boys who actively participate by cooking in school kitchens, then assembling and serving the meals. We have also seen our staff champion this cause. Picking up the mantle of service, they have taken it upon themselves to coordinate the monthly service initiative. As well as this, a group of staff now meet regularly to knit beanies for those in need, which are distributed on a Sunday night during the service. This initiative has swept through to our parents, and at the most recent June hāngi, we saw one parent rally three hairdressers to provide their services to those who came to enjoy the meal.

Whānau Kai is another programme the school has operated in for several years now. With coordination and subsidy by the Boys' School Parents and Friends, Year 7 boys and parent volunteers gather at the school once a term to cook up top-quality meals. These meals are given to those in our community who are experiencing challenging times, such as moving house, the birth of a new baby, bereavement, or longterm or sudden illness.

The active engagement in service opportunities has prompted our boys to consider current events and devise solutions to address pressing needs beyond hunger. We aim to instil a mindset of recognising and meeting the needs of others from a young age. In response to the Auckland flooding, the school collaborated with Swazi to replace cotton clothing with thermals for firefighters at Piha, Muriwai, and Karekare, meeting a simple but essential need for them to stay dry and warm. Additionally, the student council initiated a book drive to support school libraries affected by Cyclone Gabrielle in the Hawke’s Bay, with the boys collecting and selling stacks of second-hand books to generate funds for those schools.

There has also been a drive to collect clothes, shoes, and sports equipment for the upcoming Vanuatu service trip. In a collective effort, items were brought in and packed into a twenty-foot container. This container, generously donated by Mainfreight, also carried cement, tools, and a playground from Auckland City Council which will be installed in Vanuatu.

Most recently, the boys have been working on a new initiative, ‘ The Extra Miler ’. Choosing either an act of service or a physical challenge, the boys have been charged to go the extra mile and raise sponsorship for one of four local causes: Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery, Ronald McDonald House, the SK Service Projects, or Shine Presbyterian Support. Principal of the Boys’ School Mr Peter Cassie is taking on the challenge of walking from the school to the College carrying the supplies donated in the Term 2 food drive in backpacks. Rallying over sixty Year 8 students to do it with him, they will be carrying the goods to ‘The Shed’ at the College in early August.

We recognise that service is scalable, beginning with small but meaningful actions that have the potential to create lasting change. While stories of large organisations making significant impacts abound, we know that consistent, incremental efforts in the same direction can be equally as effective. To reflect on their acts of service, all our Year 7 and 8 boys take service, leadership, and character formation classes, learning what it means for actions to stem from a genuine, service-oriented heart.