SAP - Year 9 Community Projects

Our entire Year 9 cohort was excited to participate in a brand new initiative for 2025, called "Our Community Project".   This project, spearheaded by the SAP teaching team, stretched over the whole of Term 1, and involved not one, but two excursions for all of our Year 9's!

The aim of the project was to see our Year 9 students get out of the college and into the community, being exposed to a range of community groups, and seeing what they could do to help our local Langwarrin Community.

Each class was assigned a different community group, from local schools and kinders, to disability support groups, the Men's Shed, and aged care centres.  Each class visited their community group once at the start of the term, to meet with community leaders and hear about what their group does in our community.  The students were on a mission - to investigate what the needs of their community group were, and how EMC students could serve that need.  This mission needed the empathy skills that are a focus of SAP in Year 8 and it was lovely to see students having a real-life opportunity to put their empathy into action!

On their second visit to the community group later in Term 1, students enacted the plan that they had worked hard on during the term.  The plans were all different, and all designed by our students to meet a need in the community group. 

Keep reading on to see some snippets from Year 9 teachers and students, who share about what their groups did and how it went!

"My class visited and worked with Milife Disability Support Services, who are tucked away in Aquaduct Rd, Langwarrin.  The students were so warmly welcomed by Donna and her team, as well as the adults with disabilities who participate in the programs there.  Students were well out of their comfort zone, but rose to the challenge incredibly, developing a range of activities that the adult participants thoroughly enjoyed.  A highlight for me was watching students make spider drinks together with the participants and sit down together for a chat and to enjoy their creations.  I was incredibly proud of their efforts." - Mrs Chelsea Issa, A9.3

"I think I did pretty well myself, and me and George (participant) were friends after it, but I was quite nervous during it." - A9.3 Student

"Our class had the privilege of partnering with the Langwarrin Men’s Shed to create and paint raised garden beds for the Vasey RSL Aged Care facility. Over the course of three weeks, students not only gained valuable insights into the Men’s Shed’s impact on the Langwarrin community, but they also had a great time designing and painting vertical garden beds.

Thanks to their dedication and exceptional work, B9.2 has been invited to present their completed project at the Vasey RSL Aged Care facility in Frankston South. Additionally, the Frankston Times newspaper will be photographing the students on Friday, May 16th, to capture this exciting moment.

This special opportunity celebrates the students' hard work and outstanding contribution in designing, building, and painting the garden beds as part of their SAP community project.

Congratulations to B9.2 for your incredible effort and contribution to the community!"

- Mr. Ferra (B9.2)