Community services begins at school
[11 February 2007 | Premier of NSW, Australia]
NSW Premier Morris Iemma today unveiled a bold new direction in values education through a program of community service for public high school students.
The $7.8 million initiative will encourage teenagers to get involved in community service, learn new skills, foster civic pride and build on the Respect and Responsibility program.
"The Premier's Community Service Award will provide a community service program for Year 9 and 10 students in NSW Government schools," Mr Iemma said.
"Respect and responsibility are core values in our society and while teaching these values starts in the home, it does not stop at the school gate.
"Some of life's most important lessons are learned outside the classroom.
"A re-elected Labor Government will pilot the Premier's Community Service Award at 20 public high schools, before full implementation in more than 450 high schools from 2010.
"I believe all students should achieve a minimum level of community services activity while at high school.
"I believe they are some of life's most important lessons – helping others, taking pride in civic duty, and giving back to your community" Mr Iemma said.
"All students who complete a minimum of 20 hours community service will receive a new Premier's Community Service Award alongside their Year 10 School Certificate.
"Students currently in Year 7 will be the first children eligible for the award and, if selected as one of the state's top 10 student volunteers, will win a $2000 education scholarship.
"The school with the best volunteering record each year will receive a $5000 grant.
The Premier's Community Service Award:
- Builds links between schools and community service groups;
- Assists our vital community service and volunteer organisations;
- Links volunteering activities to relevant studies;
- Gives every young volunteer a Premier's Community Service Award in Year 10 for completing a minimum 20 hours service over Years 9 and 10;
- Creates 10 annual education scholarships of $2000 each for the most outstanding young volunteers; and
- Creates one annual school grant of $5000 to the school with the best volunteering record.
"This initiative will provide a safe, structured way for our teenagers become more active, caring members of the community," Mr Iemma said.
"Our Premier's Community Service Award program will encourage students to participate with school-based representative councils, cadets, community groups, aged care providers and other volunteer groups."
Mr Iemma said initial discussions had been held with leading community and volunteer groups – who had expressed support for the program. The program will be developed with groups including:
- The Rural Fire Service;
- The RSL;
- Meals on Wheels;
- The Australian Red Cross; and
- The Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia.
The initiative has been welcomed by the Wildlife Preservation Society, which was founded in 1909 by volunteers and remains today as a totally volunteer organisation involved in tree planting, community clean up days and rehabilitation of degraded environments. It has a large following among young people, particularly involving primary and secondary students, especially in its tree planting endeavours.
"We are delighted to support and encourage this new community volunteer program for years 9 and 10 students to both improve our local environment and engender a sense of community spirit among these young people," society President Patrick Medway said.
"Programs like this for secondary school students are a good way of instilling a volunteer culture among the next generation of young people," Mr Medway said.
Students will keep track of their community service in special log books, to be presented to their schools.
"We've already made significant progress in teaching respect and responsibility to students with compulsory study of Australian Civics and Citizenship and ANZAC Day," Mr Iemma said.
"Our Year 10 students recently topped Australia in a test of knowledge for Civics and Citizenship."
Mr Iemma said other respect and responsibility initiatives include providing all schools with CD recordings and palm cards of the Australian national anthem; creating new Australian Values' units to be taught in public primary schools, and strengthening a wide range of student leadership programs.
"The Premier's Community Service Award initiative will give every one of our teenagers the chance to learn more of life, and contribute to the massive effort given by one in three NSW adults who volunteer every year."
"Preparations will continue this year and next to ensure the initiative meets the requirements of both community groups and schools.
This program is funded from the projected Budget surpluses shown in the mid-year review of the Budget produced by the Treasury in late December 2006.