This year I was one of five fortunate Year 11 girls who were given the opportunity to participate in the Good Samaritan schools ‘Ministry Outreach’ program. During the first week of the term 2 holidays, 40 students from Good Samaritan schools around Australia stayed at St Scholastica’s boarding school. On the first day, we were introduced to the program, different people and our service groups. The last day was a debrief of our experience. The four days in between were spent at two different service sites. The first site that my group went to was ‘Ozanam Industries’, a workplace for adults with a disability. This was a really good experience although, at times, quite challenging. On the first day, I found it challenging to continue and expand on the conversations that I was having. Once we began working, however, I understood more that this was a normal workplace and therefore “forcing” a conversation was not necessary.

The second day was a bit easier in the sense that I was more comfortable with the environment and I was familiar with some of the employees. The second service site that my group visited was ‘Street Level’ which is run by the Salvation Army. I helped out in the kitchen by preparing and serving food, as well as by sorting through donations in the op shop. Although I found the kitchen stressful at times, it was really lovely to speak with different customers, some of whom were experiencing homelessness or just having a tough time, and being able to put a smile on their face either by serving them or just saying hello to them. The op shop was quite fun because there was just so much to sort through. This job was important and I am glad to have been able to help out the organisation. Overall this was an eye-opening experience and I have made some valuable friendships. I strongly encourage anyone in the future to apply for this opportunity.

Emily M - Year 11 Student

The first day of the experience was a lot of fun, jam packed with ice breakers and trivia, to make getting to know the other 40 people on the trip a lot easier. The second day was our first trip to our designated service sites. Rachel and I went to Food Bank. Food Bank is an organisation that provides community groups around Australia with food and some other resources that they need. It was freezing cold inside the warehouse, so cold that the cold room was actually the warmest place to be because it was at a set temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. We spent the day in pairs, walking the aisles and pulling out boxes and cartons of food. Once the shopping cart had been turned into a tower of unstable items, we would go back to our blue pallet and try to organise the load as best we could. It took a lot more thought than one might think - to strategically place the heaviest boxes in a position which would allow the rest of the items to be completely stable, but in the end it all worked out. On the first day at Food Bank, our team helped ship out a total of 29 pallets and then on the second day we helped to ship 30. It was very rewarding to know that because of us, a community group would have fresh food delivered to them.  

The second service site that my group went to was St Mary’s Villa, a nursing home in Concord. The two days at this site, I found, were the toughest. There was no physical work like the previous two days, but the mental strain was hard to handle. I had never been to a nursing home before, let alone a dementia ward, so just being with a group of elderly patients who weren’t able to talk, or weren’t able to move, was something that took some getting used to. For the first day in this site I stood awkwardly in the corner and watched as my other group members tried to make conversation. I was so afraid of saying something that might send one of the patients into an episode that I didn’t say much at all. In saying that, I did come to realise that not all of the patients in the nursing home had high care issues. A lot of the people living there were just elderly people who could no longer live on their own. Because of this, the Villa always had an activity on. One morning was zumba. On the second morning a Mass was held in the hall. I was extremely surprised at the number of elderly patients who could not walk, or talk, or remember anything really, but were able to actively take part in the Mass. It was quite beautiful to be a part of.

On the morning of the second day, I met a lady named Catherine. She was sitting alone on the lounge in the living room, and the supervising nurse introduced me to her. I sat next to her, and held her hand as we spoke. Catherine was over 90 years old, she was blind, she was mostly deaf, and she had dementia. She was very happy to have a visitor, and even though she didn’t know me, she shared so much of her life with me. I think just having someone there to hold her hand and let her know what was happening around her helped her to relax and be calm. My time at St Mary’s Villa was an experience that I won’t forget.

I had a lot of fun, and a lot of experiences during Ministry Outreach which have made me more aware of issues in our society today. The experience was unforgettable, and truly worthwhile, and I am grateful for having been able to take part in the week.

Haley M -  Year 11 Student

After the first day of briefing, all students were well equipped and prepared to venture into the communites of inner and outer Sydney and break down the barriers of privilege. The first service site I visited was Food Bank located at Glendenning. Food Bank is a non-profit organisation which acts as a pantry to the charities and community groups who feed the hungry. During our time at Food Bank we were asked to split into pairs, with each pair being assigned an order form from a school or charity with a list requesting bulk food items close to their expiry date, which would have otherwise been thrown into land fill. The major thing that stood out to me during this Monday and Tuesday was the sheer quantity of food present within the warehouse. Masses and masses and masses of fruit and vegetables, canned goods, bread, tinned fruits and so much more was stacked on shelves reaching incredible heights. I remember just thinking how glad and thankful I was that a place like Food Bank exists, because it is doing so much good work. It really is a win win scenario, as Food Bank are fighting to end hunger in Australia, while minimising the ever-growing problem of land fill and waste in this country.

On Wednesday and Thursday, it was time to swap over and help at a completely new service site, Ozanam Industries in Stanmore. Ozanam Industries is a special work of the St Vincent de Paul Society, that operates to provide work for disabled adults. The imperative importance of “Don’t dis my ability” is something that frequently played over in my mind as I observed my surroundings at Ozanam. It was evident in the unwavering support, deep care and utmost respect shown for all those working at Ozanam. During our time there, we completed the same tasks as any other worker and also accompanied the employees for morning tea and lunch breaks. A significant moment for me was undoubtedly when I was sitting at the bench, packaging dog biscuits. I looked over to the end of the bench to see Sue, a lovely kind hearted and welcoming lady, who was pretty much completely blind, doing the exact same task as everybody else, packing dog biscuits. This moment just really made me understand that having a disability does not automatically decrease your ability to do things.

On the Friday it was time to wind down and debrief all that we had seen, experienced, learnt, found challenging, found eye-opening, found rewarding etc. This was an excellent chance to gather my thoughts and reflect on a week of my life that I wish every single person could experience and learn from. I am educated and equipped now to correct the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding the hungry or those with disabilities because I was blessed enough to spend time with these genuine, compassionate souls, encountering them first hand, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Rachel N - Year 11 Student