CLC Call Out - Do You Need Volunteers?

To our wonderful school community, 

Our Year 9 CLC staff team, and students, would like to put a Call Out to see if anybody knows of a local organisation which may like to be involved in our program in 2024.

For those unaware, the CLC (Community Leadership Challenge) is a semester-long program which all Year 9 students go through. 

The first term involves excursions, workshops and school-based activities based around the concepts of gratitude, resilience, mindfulness, social connection, community, philanthropy, teamwork, trust and respect. It gives the kids a chance to get out of the classroom, push themselves outside their comfort zone, make memories and learn life skills.

The end goal, is for all students to volunteer with a Wangaratta community group, where they can “give back” and connect deeper with their community, all while learning new skills and broadening their horizons.

It’s during the second half of the program, in this current group’s case Term 2, where we rely on the generosity of community groups putting their hands up to host our students out in the community. Every Wednesday for a period of approximately 6 weeks, our students choose a community group to volunteer with.

We look for it to be a win-win scenario, with both our students and the community group benefitting.

At the many local primary schools for example, we have students assisting in classrooms. Our students love their time in the rooms, interacting with the young students, developing all sorts of skills such as communication skills, organisation, being a valuable team member. On the other hand, staff are delighted having extra help in the room, and the little students often remember the Year 9s forever.

At both St. John’s and Iloura Aged Care, again our students come away enriched with skills and memories that remain long after they leave high school, and the residents cherish their visits from the teenagers.

Out students have volunteered and contributed remarkable things over the years, such as gathering clothes and packages for the homeless while working with the Wangaratta Night Shelter, donated clothing to the Wangaratta Hospital to be used by patients in need of clean garments after accidents and emergency operations, fundraised for numerous organisations such as the Make A Wish Foundation, assisted with wildlife preservation at Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability, and run sporting clinics with Netball Victoria and AFL NEB. Sometimes, the experience even gives students a career pathway to follow.

We are extremely thankful to the many groups who have supported, and still are supporting our program. However, we believe there must be more groups out there, who may not have heard about us, or who may be new to Wangaratta. 

Any potential community group would simply need to be able to:

• Host somewhere between 2 and 6 Year 9 students on a Wednesday during school hours (anywhere from 2 to 5 hours), through the month of May for approximately 6 weeks.
• Have a project to be completed by the student volunteers (whether on site, or at school).
• Have an adult on site to supervise (Working With Children clearance essential).

We believe the program is one of the most important parts of what we offer at Wangaratta High School, with powerful outcomes resulting every year. This could be a great opportunity for anybody wishing to assist young people at our town’s only public secondary school.

If anybody out there knows of a group that could fit, please get in touch at Jud.Mullins@education.vic.gov.au.

Many thanks,

Jud Mullins

CLC Coordinator