Giving Service through Volunteering

Volunteering is an excellent way to gain skills and experience while helping others. If you’re doing something to help or serve other people, without expecting anything in return (you don’t get paid), that’s volunteering. Whether you’re helping umpire sport, organising the school ball, mowing your elderly neighbour’s lawn, washing dogs at the SPCA, planting trees, or picking up plastic rubbish at the beach - you’re contributing to your community and that counts. You’ll also feel great about yourself, too.

Service in the Marist and Mercy Traditions

John Paul II High School is founded on Marist and Mercy charisms.

A Marist education aims to inspire young people to know the love of Jesus and to model their lives on that of his mother, Mary, by emulating her humility and sense of duty towards others, promoting selflessness rather than selfishness. In following in the way of Mary, we are called upon to go about our work, doing good quietly. Marcellin Champagnat is also a valuable example of service. He would travel huge distances on foot over difficult terrain and in all conditions to visit the sick, care for the poor, share the good news of Jesus’ love for all and particularly to reach out to people, especially young people, on the margins of society. We, like the Marist Brothers, are called to seek out those on the margins of society, the poor and vulnerable, and be present to them in their need through our care.

The Mercy value of service is about helping others in need, showing compassion and kindness. You help others who are in need and don’t ask for payment or some other reward in return. Venerable Catherine McAuley is our example of faith in action through service to those in need in our community. Catherine McAuley served the poor in her community, sought to provide quality education to give them a sense of dignity in that they would then be able to help themselves out of their situation, she provided shelters for women, an orphanage and ‘meals on feet’, with the sisters walking to families in need with food and other support. She also cared for their spiritual wellbeing and would read the scriptures and pray sensitively and gently with them. We are called to serve our community and care for those in need, as Catherine McAuley did, to be present in all aspects of their need.

The impact of participating in volunteering service for young people

In recent research, young New Zealanders identified several ways that being involved in volunteer service improved their skills and outlook:

Improved communication skills: better social skills and ability to connect with people from different backgrounds, ages and cultures.
Improved leadership skills: Learning how to accept and work with people who have different perspectives and developing better sympathy and empathy for others.
Better organisational skills: Improved ability to plan and make sure you have everything in order.
Time management skills: Better able to predict what is needed and when, awareness of time frames.
Developing problem solving skills: Improved ability to recognise problems and find solutions.
Improved ability to work under pressure: Learning to be more flexible and adaptable.
Better teamwork skills: Learning to work together despite personal feelings and differences with a person.

Increase in pride and self-worth: Feeling good about having a way to contribute to your local community
Improved work readiness and focus on future career goals: Exposure to careers and work focused on service.
Civic and social awareness: Improved understanding of community needs, learning how to respond to needs when volunteering, and what it means to be in a privileged position to help others.

We have integrated the service aspect of our charisms with the Student Volunteer Army Secondary Schools Service Awards programme. You may be aware of the Student Volunteer Army which formed in response to the Christchurch Earthquake and continues to respond to a range of needs, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters, around New Zealand. The SVA Secondary Schools programme grew from and is funded through the SVA.

Through the SVA Service Awards, students earn badges based on their hours of service completed and manage their own online dashboard (linked to the school) to log their hours. Students can print off a ‘Record of Service’ that they can use when applying for jobs, leadership roles at school, university and financial scholarships, halls of residence etc. Junior students completed a beach and riverbank cleanup for Earth Day last week, and some were daffodil Day Collectors this year – students can back date their service.

For the last day and a half this term, junior students will be involved in acts of service, and can log these hours. Most students will be able to earn their first SVA badge. The dates are week 9, Monday 11th all day, and a half day on Tuesday 12th December. There will be more information coming in the next newsletters. Junior students are encouraged to start thinking now about service opportunities, whether these be at home to help out, or completing something much needed and helpful for a neighbour or relative.

Here’s the information shared with junior students on Wednesday this week. This has also been emailed to all students too: https://www.johnpaul.ac.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/JPII-Service-Programme.pdf

Find out more detailed information about our service and volunteering programme and the SVA Awards Programme on our school website at this link: https://www.johnpaul.ac.nz/service/