60 COMMUNITY SERVICE Kearsney College prides itself on inspiring the boys at the College to play an active role in positively impacting the lives and communities in our neighbourhood and to affirm the integrity and respect of our senior citizens and people living with disabilities. Further to this, we strive to enhance the self-worth of individuals and to be involved in the protection of animals and plants and the environment. For us, the term “community service” refers to service performed for the benefit of others with no intention of personal gain. Each boy at the College is required to do a minimum of 15 hours of community service each year - preferably five hours per term for the first three terms of the year, with the final term being predominantly focused on academics. The practice of community service gives our boys the opportunity to become active members of their community and can have a lasting, positive impact on society. It also enables the boys to acquire life skills and knowledge and contribute to their own self-worth. Some of the common benefits of participating in a community service programme are: 1. Psychological benefits: Helping others increases overall life satisfaction and helps you feel good about yourself. It can also help to decrease stress and ease depression. 2. Social benefits: Engagement with the community creates special bonds with those being served and increases social awareness and responsibility. 3. Cognitive benefits: Service can provide opportunity for personal growth and development of interpersonal communication skills. Participating in community service not only makes a difference to the College and those we serve, but also makes a difference in every boy’s lives. Participating in community service activities helps to obtain work-related skills prior to tertiary education and builds good references for bursaries and scholarships and for employers regarding community involvement. Most importantly, it also helps students develop civic and social responsibility skills and become more aware of what their community needs. This year, the boys focused on the following areas: • Collecting items like clothes, shoes, stationery and sports material • Caring for orphans - assisting with homework, playing games and providing uniform • Visiting the sick and the disabled • Fundraising • Facilitating sports clinics for underprivileged schools - such as basketball, hockey and rugby clinics • Involvement with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for families in need • Reading to elderly people at nursing homes and to patients in hospitals • Donating books to the needy and local libraries • Helping under-resourced schools through the donation of furniture and providing extra lessons • Removing alien vegetation in various locations and caring for our conservancy • Blood donations. Through their participation in the activities mentioned above, we aim to instil the following values in our boys: • Values of ubuntu (sharing and a sense of belonging) • Encouraging the culture of giving • Preparing our boys for the outside world • A pride in Kearsney College • A pride in our country • The ability to “walk the talk” • Building relationships with and positively impacting our local community We aim to foster in our boys a strong desire to positively influence change in their community and to develop a deep-rooted sense of empathy for others through which so much will be achieved. It is important for our boys to know they can use their diverse backgrounds to make a positive difference. Outreach With grateful thanks to the Volschenk family.
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