Community Service in action

At CCGS an important trait of leadership is serving others. The leadership culture at the school supports students to give back to the school and the wider community. 

The Year 10 Community Service Award challenges students to choose a change initiative or project where they can have an impact within their community. Here’s a look at some of those projects. 

Donation drive for animals 

Originally Phoebe Langford, Hannah Leggett and Ella Winn wanted to volunteer their time at pounds, shelters and even pet stores. They researched options and discovered the Central Coast Animal Care Facility.  

Hannah said, “Despite only being 10 minutes away, none of us had heard of it before or knew about their work. But due to both COVID setbacks and age restrictions, we found that we wouldn’t be able to physically volunteer at the facility, so decided we could most effectively help the cause by gathering needed supplies instead.” 

The group donated over $200 of bleach, laundry powder, towels, cat litter, food and toys. Ella said, “Several of the workers commented that they had nearly run out of some items. It truly put everything into perspective. It showed us just how little you can give to still have such a huge effect.”  

Added Phoebe, “Just a couple of bottles of bleach, for example, were things that they were overjoyed to receive and knew would take even just the smallest amount of pressure off for a little while.”  

Youth off the Streets 

Cameron Fetherston and Austin Atherton used the schools' social media platforms to raise awareness of the great work done by Youth Off The Streets. They shared the frightening statistics of youth homelessness and abuse as an Instagram video story and displayed posters around the school. Cameron and Austin also slept rough for a night to gain a brief experience of what it must be like to be homeless.  

Citizen scientists in action 

Nell Hudson and Isabel Fanning always knew they wanted to run a project that involved animals. However when COVID struck they found they were unable to volunteer at the local animal shelters. So they researched other options and came across NestWatch a citizen science project run by Zooniverse that involves watching short clips of the Critically Endangered Northern Bald Ibis and monitoring the bird behaviour.  

Three times a week Nell and Isabel would spend 15 minutes making simple observations like how many birds were in the nest and what behaviour the birds displayed.  
Nell said, “Throughout this process, we learnt that community service is about helping the community without seeking reward. It is about compassion and empathy to the broader community and becoming active members in our own community.”  

Added Isabel, “We learned that a lot of animals are currently under threat due to environmental and human impacts. We were happy to help Zooniverse to prevent this issue.” 

Give a little heart 

1000 Hearts is a kindness project offering people a symbol of compassion and care through handmade pocket hearts. April Ridge, Shelley Bell and Abbey Lenton spent 23 hours sewing 80 tiny little hearts made from felt and buttons and writing letters to give to people in the community experiencing difficulties.  

April said, “When researching ideas for community service, we heard of an organisation called 1000 Hearts. We wanted to let struggling individuals in the community who may be suffering grief, depression or loneliness know that they are not alone.” 

Shelley said, “Through this experience we have learnt that a little love shown to people in need can help.” Added Abbey, “If we all could show someone a small act of kindness each day, individuals struggling may feel more loved and connected.” 

Mullets for Black Dog Institute 

Jules Woodcock, Finlay Easson and Tom Borg supported the Black Dog Institute by growing mullets during the school holiday to raise awareness and empower everyone to look after their mental health. Mullets for Mental Health encouraged people to shape and grow mullets to raise funds and awareness for mental health research. 
  

Well done to all our community service participants. The wide variety of projects focusing on a range of initiatives and outcomes was very positive to see.