Student reflections on Service

Kindness is an integral part of who we are at Pymble. This term, our girls gave their time to causes both near and far, from partner schools and community fundraisers to volunteer nights supporting those doing it tough. Their reflections tell the story best.

Aliya (Year 9)

In Term 2, I organised a lunchtime bracelet-making and letter-writing initiative to support students from Milingimbi, our partner school in North-East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, ahead of the Arnhem Games.

After learning about Milingimbi through a pen-pal program last year, I wanted to create a simple but meaningful opportunity for the Pymble community to show their encouragement. Students came together during lunch to make personalised bracelets using Milingimbi’s school colours, their names and the traditional name of their island, in addition to writing heartfelt letters for both students and staff.

Alongside the Milingimbi initiative, I also participated in Days for Girls, which provided another meaningful opportunity to contribute through service. It was incredibly rewarding to see so many people give up part of their lunch break to support students they had never met.

My biggest takeaway was that service doesn’t have to be a large-scale project to make a meaningful impact. Small acts of kindness and connection can help people feel seen, valued and supported, while also strengthening the relationship between our two school communities. I am grateful to everyone who took part and helped make the initiative such a success.

Hakone (Year 11)

I feel incredibly grateful for the service opportunities I have been involved in during Term 2. Within the Senior School, we supported Days for Girls, knitting for Wrapped with Love alongside the Gordon-Pymble Uniting Church, and fundraising for the Sir David Martin Foundation with our hamper competition and hot chocolate stall. I was also fortunate to participate in community events such as the KRG Fun Run supporting Special Olympics and the Lindfield Fun Run, which raised funds for KYDS Youth Counselling.

My highlight of the term was volunteering on Friday nights at The Dish. While serving meals was important, it was the meaningful conversations and relationships that stay with me. These interactions have transformed my understanding of service, demonstrating that its greatest impact lies in the empathy, dignity and connection we extend to others.

I also had the opportunity to attend the Brigidine College Social Justice Forum, where hearing from keynote speaker Hana Assafiri and organisations addressing pertinent issues such as homelessness, period poverty and sustainability reinforced Pymble’s ideal of humility and standing shoulder to shoulder with community.

Service is woven into Pymble’s culture and becomes part of the way we see the world. We are constantly encouraged to engage with people whose lives are different from our own, listen before we speak, and recognise that everyone has something valuable to teach us. The courage to engage with diverse people and experiences is where character is cultivated, and those acts of compassion can contribute to a more just and connected community, which, with hope, can change the world.

Ruby (Year 10)

On the 26^th of June I was offered a great opportunity to attend a Dream2Live4 service day. During this day I was able to listen to heartfelt stories from dreams2live4 participants, learning about their struggles and their wishes.

These stories really touched me and brought tears to many people’s eyes, having the opportunity to experience this was rare and I am very grateful myself and others were able to volunteer.

My highlight of the day was listening to the dreamers wishes and watching the videos, especially the dreamer who wished for a dog.

My key learning opportunity from engaging in Dream2Live4 is learning that making people dreams coming true doesn’t have to be a big gesture but rather something meaningful that they couldn’t do on their own.