School: Mount Carmel College (TAS)
Partner: Southern Cross Care
Summary
Mount Carmel College is a K-10 Catholic girls’ school, situated close to the centre of Hobart. Founded in 1942, the school has a long tradition of involvement in the wider community. The College has formed a partnership with two coeducational Catholic secondary colleges: Guilford Young College, Mackillop Catholic College and three aged-care facilities.
Aged care professionals have identified the need for residents’ lives to be acknowledged and valued. The schools have identified an opportunity for young people to engage with the elderly in constructive and meaningful ways through a structured, purposeful outreach program.
Each of the three schools will partner with one of the aged care facilities in a service learning project in which the students will produce photographic records of residents’ lives. It is intended that pairs of secondary students will work with each resident identified for the program. Mount Carmel College is working with Guilford Young Grove; Guilford Young College is working with St Anne's Homes and Mackillop Catholic College is working with the Freemasons' Home.
Students will engage with residents to document and present records of their lives, using photos, family stories and memories of life as it was for each individual. Outcomes could include, but are not limited to, an electronic book on USB or disk, hard copy document or video, depending on the needs and desires of residents and their families. Residents’ photos will be scanned on site, and students will talk to the residents about their memories of those in the photographs and the stories around them. Discussions will be recorded and will be an integral part of the final document.
There will be ten sessions per program, based on two hours fortnightly. During each session, there will be a 30-40 minute session delivered by aged care professionals or college staff on issues related to ageing, including health issues, ethical issues, grief and loss and palliative care. This will be a carefully structured program, and students will be formally assessed on the criteria included in the Tasmanian Certificate of Education course Community Service Learning.
The residents will benefit from the program in a number of ways, including interaction with young people in conversation on a regular basis, the celebration of their skills and experiences, and reduced feelings of isolation and boredom. They will also receive electronic or hard copy documentation of their life stories for themselves and their families.
The students are also expected to benefit in many ways. They will develop their skills in literacy, ICT and organizational skills, while gaining an understanding of the needs of the elderly and developing improved attitudes toward service and civic responsibility. Their social skills will be enhanced while they learn to appreciate the perspectives of others and experience the value of giving to the community. For these young people, too, there is the added benefit of experiencing intergenerational relationships, which they may not always have in their own lives.
The project has been well thought out and meticulously planned and is strongly supported by the partners.
The award funds will enable the purchase of equipment such as recording devices, laptop computers, scanners, printers and other materials which will be needed for the documentation of residents’ life stories.
