Connection, acceptance and community

I had the opportunity to spend time during the first week of the recent school holiday period with the last of our Year 10 groups on the Zero Journey. Having joined the group on day 15 of their program, I did feel like an intruder on my first day, but quickly found my place due to the way the students welcomed me into their community. In many ways, the group became a microcosm of what I’d like to think we are as a school on all occasions, in all situations, although in reality I know that is not possible. The final group was built on a foundation where difference was celebrated.

That final group was certainly diverse, including schooling background with a number of students new to Carey in 2024. Rather than divide, the group had come to recognise and appreciate the value found in their individual, and quite unique, skills and interests. It defined them as a cohesive community. Some had a passion for cards, one particular student loved volleyball, several enjoyed frisbee, others could not wait to get into the water, and there was a shared shuffling of the group playlist. Games of assassin, collecting rubbish, charades and cooking all became the conduit for connection. The thread that ran seamlessly through the group was the fact that all students engaged in all activities, regardless of ability, and even in the absence of initial heightened interest, in order to generate a community of acceptance. The time away, from devices and familiarity, forced connections with those that may otherwise have remained strangers. Difference was celebrated.

In the final days of Year 12, there is the inevitable pause to reminisce. Each year the stories that emerge from our school leavers are those moments of connection, often on camp, when friendships have been forged in a safe community. In an ideal school world, each student will embrace those moments when they are placed in groups with those who hold different backgrounds and interests. When the decision is made to engage, as was the case with all students in that final Zero group, the stories are carried for life.

Peter Robson
Deputy Principal – Wellbeing