Scotch College

What Social Service is all about

Anyone for Uno?

Social Service is about caring: caring for Scotch boys, for the local community and for the global community; in short, caring for those not as fortunate as ourselves.

The concept of Social Service at Scotch College has evolved over the years from the need and desire of the Scotch community to make a contribution to the welfare of society. Many of the boys, staff, parents and friends of the School have the opportunity to make a contribution during their association with the School.

The Social Service program is a unique opportunity for Scotch boys to give something back to the community. It’s hoped that when boys leave school they will carry with them some of that caring attitude as they forge their life beyond Scotch.

Each year some 110 boys from Year 11 elect not to continue with their present activity, and to join the Social Service Program. By Year 12, about a further 20 boys may elect to join, making a total of about 240 boys enrolled in the program.

At the end of each year, boys are asked to indicate their intention to enroll in Social Services. At the same time they are asked to indicate their preference for the type and location of their placement. When allocating boys to their placement, every effort is made to ensure that they are compatible with their placement, and that the travel home at the conclusion of their service is not too onerous.

Preference is given to boys in Year 12 before Year 11 boys are assigned, to try to help the Year 12 boys with their VCE commitments. At the start of the following year, placements are juggled to meet the boys’ needs. Once the adjustments have been made, boys continue with that placement for the rest of the year.

To run the program, the School allocates about 25 members of staff to be responsible for groups of boys. Staff members are allocated small groups of boys for whom they are responsible. It is the role of the staff to ensure that the experiences the boys gain are both meaningful and beneficial, while at the same time ensuring that the boys are providing a valuable service to their hosts.

Some boys choose service at Scotch in a variety of tasks; others perform their service at one of the approximately 25 outside placements. We are indebted to those centres for their involvement in the program.

The boys’ tasks vary from the care of primary-aged children in the after-school programs to assisting the elderly in their own or community homes, and they require a wide variety of skills.

Broadly speaking, boys are allocated to the following groups of activities:

• External placements
• After-hours child-care
• School-based activities

External placements

All external placement activities are conducted on Thursday afternoons, with the exception of playschool centres. Most boys are sent to homes for the elderly, and the school services some 20 of these. In addition, some boys are involved in helping other institutions with their charitable works.

The School runs two concert groups, which perform recitals at homes and other venues. There is a string quartet and a woodwind ensemble, which perform regularly.

After-hours childcare

Each day of the school week, Scotch boys help local primary schools and kindergartens with their after-hours programs. The School participates in about seven of these programs, including one at our own Junior School.

The program relies heavily on the goodwill and tremendous help of the Social Service Auxiliary, to ferry all the boys to their various activities. Every week about 15 parents volunteer their time to help get the boys to their services.

Fundraising is another important activity, and the main effort is the Family Day cake stall. From this and other smaller events the auxiliary donates some $3,000 each year to worthy causes and charities, with underprivileged children the main beneficiaries. Last year the auxiliary committed to sponsor the education and support of two children, one from Papua New Guinea and another from East Timor.

School-based activities

Most school-based activities run for about an hour and a half on Thursday afternoons, although some operate on all five days of the week. Here are some examples of school-based activities:

Amnesty International – Boys in this group are encouraged to research and write letters outlining their concerns on matters of human rights abuse.

Conservation group – New this year, this program aims to restore the banks of the Yarra bordering the Scotch campus to their original condition, by planting native trees and shrubs. The hope is that this group will extend its activities in the future to Gardiner’s Creek and beyond the borders of the school.

Other boys may do placements in the Library, with the Drama Society or the Chess Club, or help with the School’s charitable fundraising.

As part of the School’s Social Service program, all houses and form groups are encouraged to raise money for a charity of their choice. Funds raised are taken into account in determining the top house each year. Form groups at Years 7 and 8 have a similar competition.

Tim Ho helping Ms Lucy James in the Prep area of the Junior School.	James Hays helping Ms Tabytha Coggins in the Junior School.

As well as day-to-day fundraising programs, the School raises funds for special events, including the Relay for Life on behalf of the Cancer Council of Victoria, which raised some $30,000, the 24-hour hike, which allocates its money to a different charity each year and raises some $15,000. Others include SIDS (Red Nose Day), Bandana Day (Canteen), the Royal Children’s Hospital (Good Friday Appeal), Jeans for Genes, the 40 Hour Famine, Remembrance Day poppies and Legacy.

Overall the School community donates up to $70,000 in any given year.

At the end of each year, the Social Service Award is presented at Speech Night. The award is made to a Year 12 boy, based on the following guidelines:

• regular attendance
• enthusiasm and a positive, proactive response to the challenges of the service – initiative, work ethic, flexibility, punctuality, politeness are all taken into account
• making a continuing contribution to an aspect of Social Service by going beyond the call of duty and giving extra time to the role.

The Social Service program is always looking for venues in which the boys may be placed, to perform worthwhile tasks for the benefit of the venue, and the development of the boys involved.

Sam Black
Senior School Staff

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Bruce Brown rallies the Staff in the recent Staff versus Prefects football match. The motivational address did the trick, with the staff victors by 10 goals!