One of the key roles of Catholic schools is to form young people committed to the love, compassion and justice of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Catholic schools foster a Christian attitude in society and encourage the development of the kind of world envisaged by Christ. Christian Service Learning in Catholic schools enables students to grow from a Catholic faith perspective as people of service and justice.
Our Core Values underpin who we are as a College community. Our Core Value, ‘We will show respect, compassion and service to others‘ challenges us to reach out and to treat everyone with compassion and respect the dignity of every human person, and more importantly, to reach out in service to those in need. Our Core Value, ‘We must model Christ in our behaviour’ challenges all members of the College community to understand and be the example of Christ. Christian Service Learning assists in developing the understanding of this value.
Throughout history, serving others has been the mark of a great person. There are everyday examples like Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mary MacKillop and Oscar Romero and many unnamed people who serve this community and the wider community in so many ways. The model of Christian Service Learning at Emmanuel Catholic College aims to put our faith into action. Students are asked to volunteer out in the community. To give of their own time to help those in need, the underprivileged and those less fortunate. We do this by giving of our time for ‘not-for-profit’ organisations in the community.
Some organisations our students have been working with include St Patrick’s Community Support Centre, St Vincent de Paul Society, Eat Up, Pregnancy Assistance, Give Write, Wheelchairs for Kids, and many others.
As a Catholic School community, we actively encourage our students to embody the values of service, both within the school environment and in their personal lives.
As Christian Service Learning is an integral part of our College Mission and Identity, we require students to complete a variety of service activities from Years 7 to 12.