Throughout the term, students at Youth Off The Streets’ seven alternative high schools are encouraged to step beyond the classroom and make a positive difference in their communities.
These volunteering opportunities – known as service-learning – are designed to help young people discover their strengths, develop practical life skills and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.
“Service-learning at Youth Off The Streets is about creating authentic opportunities for young people to contribute to their communities while developing confidence, skills and meaningful relationships,” says Nathanial Baker, Deputy Principal of Wellbeing and Restorative Engagement. “Rather than simply volunteering, students are involved in projects where they can see the impact of their actions and reflect on what they’ve learned.”
Examples of service-learning include preparing meals for people experiencing homelessness through Cook4Good, volunteering with the RSPCA, visiting and supporting residents in aged care centres, reading to primary school students, environmental projects such as bush regeneration and community clean-ups and fundraising initiatives for causes that are meaningful to our students.
Why we prioritise learning beyond the classroom
An approach that blends community contribution with structured opportunities for reflection and learning, service-learning is a key component of our model of education.
“For many of our young people, school hasn’t always been a place where they’ve experienced success or felt that they have something valuable to offer others,” says Nathanial. “Service-learning helps shift that narrative.”
At Youth Off The Streets, we believe education is about more than academic achievement.
“Alongside literacy, numeracy and vocational pathways, we’re helping young people develop a sense of identity, purpose, connection and hope,” says Nathanial. “Service-learning provides authentic opportunities for students to experience these things in real-world settings.”
Service-learning isn’t just about learning beyond the classroom. Often, volunteering opportunities are closely aligned with the academic curriculum, too.
Recently, Year 9 and 10 English students at EDEN College took part in ‘The Wisdom Exchange’, a program in which they volunteered at a nursing home each week and engaged in recreational activities with the residents there. It was also designed to address the goals of their English curriculum, which was about exploring the concept of age through personal connections and storytelling.
It’s one example of how service-learning creates opportunities for young people to learn and grow, both at school and in the wider community.
Nathanial Baker, Deputy Principal of Wellbeing and Restorative Engagement.
Building confidence, purpose and empathy
“One of the biggest changes we see is how students begin to view themselves,” says Nathanial. “Many young people arrive with a strong belief that they are the ones who need help, but through service-learning, they discover that they also have something valuable to contribute.”
“They experience success, receive genuine appreciation from others and begin building confidence in their own strengths.”
Service-learning can also have a profound impact on students’ sense of purpose.
“We’ve seen students who were initially reluctant to engage become leaders within projects and start to communicate confidently with community members and develop aspirations they hadn’t previously considered,” says Nathanial. “These experiences often become reference points that remind students they are capable, valued and able to positively influence the lives of others.”
For some students, these experiences have even helped shape future career ambitions. For example, a number of students have expressed that they want to explore pathways working with animals after volunteering with organisations such as the RSPCA.
Just as importantly, service-learning helps students broaden their perspective.
“Service-learning gives students opportunities to connect with people whose experiences may be different from their own,” says Nathanial. “Those connections help develop empathy in a way that can’t be replicated through classroom learning alone.”
Volunteering doesn’t just increase students’ exposure to and understanding of social issues and inequalities – it also helps them recognise that they can be part of the solution.
“They begin to understand that even small acts of kindness and contribution in their community matter,” says Nathanial, “and that they have the ability to create positive change.”
As Nathanial explains, it’s not just about the service itself. The learning comes from the entire process: planning the service activity, participating in it and then reflecting on its impact and why it mattered.
“There are so many skills they’re developing,” he says, “including establishing partnerships within the community, collaborating with others and organising resources.”
“That means asking, ‘What could we do to support these community groups?’ and working through the planning process to make it happen.”
Indie’s* story: Giving back, building confidence
Every Friday, Indie*, a student at Youth Off The Streets’ Craig Davis College, visits a local preschool as part of the service-learning program.
“I really enjoy reading, playing and interacting with the children,” says Indie. “It’s rewarding to see their faces light up when they recognise us and wave hello.”
“No matter how I’m feeling when I arrive, I always leave feeling brighter and happier.”
Because of service learning, Indie* has been able to shift her mindset about her future career.
As part of her service-learning, Indie plans and prepares small lessons and activities for the children, which have included Mother’s Day crafts, science experiments and games to support their learning and development.
“I feel a real sense of achievement knowing that I’ve been able to give some of my time and energy back to the community,” she says.
The experience has also encouraged Indie to think more deeply about her future career.
“It’s made me consider careers in childcare or social work,” she says. “I feel happy, capable and rewarded when working with young children and supporting others.”
This shift in mindset, says Nathanial, is common for students who participate in service-learning.
“For many of our young people, this is incredibly powerful,” he says. “They move from asking, ‘What can people do for me?’ to ‘What can I do for others?’ That shift in thinking builds purpose, strengthens self-worth and often inspires an ongoing desire to remain involved in their communities long after the project has finished.”
“Ultimately, service-learning isn’t just about helping others,” says Nathanial. “It’s about helping young people discover who they are, recognise the strengths they already possess and realise they have an important role to play within their communities.”
