Shining Lights 9/3/2023 - Week 6 Term 1

The Power of the Dog

One of the great things that Lumen has done in terms of well-being is Lulu. She receives much love and care and redistributes this many times over to our students. She is quite remarkable in meeting the demands placed upon her. The occasional diet has been necessary as well as the odd haircut (and I can relate to both) and she has been nothing other than a great source of joy. She is the circuit breaker, the calming influence, the grounder...she earns every dog pellet. I could bang on about physical, psychological and social benefits, but I’m sure that you can fill in the blanks. Research talks about oxytocin in brain chemistry… if I understood it, I’m sure that I would believe them.

I am a great lover of animals (apart from rats in my shed!!!) and have virtually never been without multiple dogs, birds and fish since little boydom. A tiny bit of land has seen the menagerie expand to, at various times, dabbling in poultry (lots); ducks, alpacas, sheep, goats and cattle (a few) as well. Always wanted a pig(s). As young adults, my kids inherited this gene (probably the only worthwhile thing) and animals are central to their lives in many ways, much to their benefit, in study or recreation. There were some interesting times over the years in their growing up, but our rock was always our cherished Aussie bulldog, Mr Brown. Who does my daughter come home to see…?

Anyway, I’m a fan. I fully endorse the benefits of kids having pets! My dogs are even fond of me and there are plenty of days where they are the only ones. At Lumen, over the last year or two, students have helped me set up small goldfish tanks in my office. My thinking was that it may well contribute to the kids, but if it didn’t, I could get away with it as a small indulgence at my great age. Guess what… my fish tank cleaning crew take great joy and pride in their work (and are here and engaged); frequently a distressed or angry student has sat opposite me and my opening line has been – irrespective of the magnitude of the issue at hand – “Have you seen my fish?” It works nearly every time – lowers stress, establishes connection… should have done it years ago.

At the same time as the fish tanks, I bought some indoor plants. Interestingly enough, I believe the benefits nearly equate to that of the fish, but perhaps the fish and plants lack Lulu’s unconditional love. Although I do gaze at my stag-horns longingly and the fish are always keen to see me (for a feed, but I like to think otherwise).  Had a strapping young man with me the other day who was fully in battle mode. He didn’t quite know where to go after I began with, “Do you think my plants need watering?”

So, Lulu is in the sweet spot of her stellar career in education, Mr Brown is in semi-retirement on my daughter’s bed (eating better than me) and I’m musing about the tremendous benefits of the connection with living things. (Insert Romantic poetry quotation of your choice. Try Wordsworth, “Daffodils”).

Got to be better than Tik Tac, Snapchat and gaming avatars. Just putting it out there.

Community Groups

This term in History Stage 2 has been learning about communities and to help us we have had a wide range of visitors from local community groups come and talk to the children and answer questions about what their organisations do and how they benefit the community. We have had visitors from Vinnies, the Rural Fire Service, Jigamy, the Social Justice Advocates and the Pambula Surf Lifesavers.

Along with learning about the valuable work being done in our community they are also learning that many of these community organisations would not be able to do their good work without volunteers, those people who choose to give up their own time to do good for their communities.

The students have been able to hear first hand about why these people volunteer and how they feel about doing the work they do. Guests have spoken about the benefits of being a part of something bigger than yourself, of working with a team to achieve a common goal and the reward of knowing you were able to help an individual in a difficult time in their life. 

We hope that this will help to foster a sense of service in our students and give them ideas about the ways they can be a force for positive change in their own communities. Many thanks to all those who came and shared their knowledge and experience with us and to all the community members now and in the past who enrich our school by giving of their time to make our school a better place.

7 ways volunteering could benefit you

– from Study Work Grow

Learn new skills

No matter where you decide to volunteer, there will always be an element of training. While the skills may seem basic or trivial, they could be essential building blocks for future careers.

For example, if you’re collecting, organising, accounting for, and distributing donations from school fundraisers, you might be learning more than you think about finances, budgeting and inventory. Skills useful in almost all jobs including management, accounting, or running your own business.

Then there’s the other skills that you might not even realise you’re working on, like communication, team work, independence, problem solving, and customer service – the list goes on.

Give your resume a boost

If you have lots of part time or summer work experience on your resume that’s fantastic.

Got computer skills? Excellent.

But adding a few more lines will never hurt. Showing commitment to community efforts, or any kind of voluntary work, will speak volumes about your personality. If you’re happy to keep showing up without getting paid, you must be dedicated and motivated; all qualities that universities and future employers will look favourably on.

Make you stand out in admissions

Whether you’re applying to uni, TAFE, or looking for work, chances are you’ll be up against a lot of other applicants. Some might have a higher ATAR than you, some may have relevant work experience.

How will you stand out? Well, what you choose to do outside of the classroom could make all the difference.

Volunteering is a great way to show you care about others and that you can manage your time well enough to balance a volunteer job with your other commitments.

Form connections and networking contacts

Volunteering could introduce you to people you wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Those people could become friends, mentors, or your inspiration.  The more you get involved with projects outside your school, the wider you’re casting your net.

You’ll end up with more contacts that could be helpful in providing you with paid holiday jobs, work experience, references, and even full blown job offers.

If you already know what you want to study at uni, try finding volunteer opportunities in those areas. For example, if you’re interested in politics, see if you can volunteer with your local politician. There’s every chance your volunteer experience could help you in your future endeavours.

Personal development

When you’re at high school, chances are that you’re operating within a fairly limited social circle. You’ll be engaging with your family, school friends and teachers, and possibly a few friends outside of school.

Volunteering will introduce you to new situations and people, potentially really different to what you’ve known up until now.

You could:

• Increase your confidence
• Learn to communicate more effectively with different audiences
• Become a better listener
• Learn about your personal strengths and weaknesses
• Be more aware of and active about social justice issues

Positive impacts on your health

Studies have shown that volunteering could contribute to improved mental and physical health.

Increased physical activity, providing a sense of purpose, kicking goals, achieving good things, and focusing on other people’s problems rather than your own can create a “helper’s high”.

You could feel happier, less stressed and be fitter as well.

Feel great about yourself

So this is a bit cheeky, as it kind of ties in with number 6, but we felt it deserved its own spot.

When you volunteer you’re not only benefiting yourself, you’re having a positive impact on lots of other people around you too.

Potentially you’ll be helping an individual and an organisation, your community and subsequently you’re contributing to the wealth and health of a nation.

When you realise that your actions are so widespread, you might feel humbled and you should definitely feel proud of your contribution, it could definitely improve your self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.

Find a volunteering position that works for you

It’s ok if you’re not ready to commit yourself straight away. Start by having a look around your community, find out what the options are near you. See how much of commitment you’ll be asked to make, then decide if it’s something that you can fit in (and that you’d like to do).

Alternatively, you can even find opportunities to volunteer online.

Maybe you’d love to volunteer, but you can’t fit it in to your busy school term schedule.  Why not see if there’s a way you can offer your help during the school holidays?