Empowering through service
Reflections of a student volunteer
Abby Kilfoil, Duke of Edinburgh program participant
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a structured youth development program with an aim of empowering young Australians to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion, and place in the world, regardless of their location or circumstance. The program was started in the UK in 1956 and is now in 130 countries and over eight million young people have participated. There are three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold and within each level participants must complete set hours for physical recreation, skills, voluntary service, and an adventurous journey. My name is Abby, I am in Year 9 at Queenwood School for Girls, and I am working towards my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Voluntary service is an important part of the award to challenge yourself to be a responsible, caring member of the community and in doing so it can help you improve your skills such as teamwork, communication, and self-confidence. I was fortunate to be able to do my service at the Sisters of Charity Heritage Centre. One of the main principles of the Sisters of Charity is service to the community and the poor. The Heritage Centre welcomes visitors and connects them to the history and charism of the Sisters. Given the strong service focus of the Sisters, I hoped that in volunteering at the Heritage Centre I would be able to make a positive difference, broaden my perspective and learn some new skills.
The plan was that I would use my volunteer hours to get an understanding of behind-the-scenes management of a cultural institution and gain experience in museum education programs. Unfortunately, Covid got in the way, but I was still able to complete two onsite visits to the Heritage Centre. During the first visit I had a tour of the exhibition and Congregational Chapel. During the second visit, I walked through the Object Discovery Tour and provided feedback. I liked the interactive parts of the Object Discovery Tour the best. It was interesting to learn the origins of the Sisters of Charity and see some of the original items the first five Sisters brought with them from Ireland. Before Covid closures, I was especially looking forward to assisting with the planned tours as they were a good opportunity to serve the community but to also gain some skills in logistics management and hospitality.
As the NSW lockdown extended, we moved the volunteer work online. I am happy I was able to help by providing some feedback on the current website content and how it could be improved. I also did some research into programs and events at other cultural institutions around Australia to highlight what programs they offer both online and on-site. This will hopefully help the Heritage Centre continue to grow and develop its online presence.
While the project didn’t quite go as we had originally planned, it was both interesting and fulfilling, and I hope my service to the Centre was helpful.