Concepts such as community, generosity and need can feel abstract when discussed in a classroom. That’s why Educator Kim Tucker, from Charles Conder Primary School, suggested the year 5/6 students from the school’s Conder Community Connections program make a visit to Anglicare’s Gordon Community Centre.
A Tuggeranong local, Kim was familiar with Little Luxton, the social enterprise café co-located at the centre. Through her visits, she developed an understanding of how the café and community centre work together, using community resources to help meet local needs while providing programs, services and opportunities for connection.
“As I learned more about what the community centre and pantry were doing to support local families, I could immediately see a connection with the work we were doing at Charles Conder Primary around community connections, compassion and social responsibility,” said Kim. “It made sense to me that our students should know what was happening in their own local community and have the opportunity to see community support firsthand.”
This led to a bike ride through the local area and a visit to the centre, where students saw the café and the food pantry and learned about the work being done to support local families.
For some students, it was the first time they had considered that families in their own community might need extra support. The experience transformed generosity from an abstract concept into something they could understand and respond to.
Inspired by their visit, students from the Year 6 Leadership group began to brainstorm different ways they could give back.
“I think the moment that stood out most was when the students moved from thinking, ‘People in our community need this’, to ‘We can actually do something to help,’” said Kim. “That was the really important shift.”
The students approached the challenge thoughtfully, considering not only how they could help, but how they could ensure their support continued over time.
“They developed a proposal for the initiative and presented it to the principal,” said Kim. “They thought beyond just collecting food. They considered how to promote the plan to the school community, how to get people interested and, importantly, how to make it sustainable. They didn’t want to have one big collection, donate it and then have the initiative disappear. They wanted us to be able to contribute consistently over time.”
Thanks to their well-considered approach, the concept was warmly embraced by the entire school community. Every week, families and staff contribute non-perishable food and other essential items, which Kim and the student leadership group then deliver in person to the pantry.
To maximise the impact of the collection, the team began sharing a weekly list of the pantry’s most-needed items, helping ensure donations matched current demand.
“Students are exposed to so much information through the media and through conversations around them about the financial pressures families are experiencing,” said Kim. “They are aware of these issues but they don’t necessarily have the ability to solve what are really adult problems. What this initiative gives them is a positive and appropriate way to respond.”
The success of the pantry collection has encouraged students to think more broadly about community connection, with the leadership group already discussing future projects such as a local street library.
When asked how other schools could start similar initiatives, Kim said, “I would say start with the students and the learning, rather than starting with the collection or the fundraising activity. Give students an opportunity to understand what is happening, meet people, ask questions and see the need for themselves. Then give them some ownership over what happens next. I think that’s what makes an initiative meaningful and sustainable.
I’d also encourage schools to look really closely at their own local community.”
Staff at Gordon Community Centre have been overwhelmed by the school’s ongoing commitment. Since the initiative began, Charles Conder Primary School has donated more than 56 bags of food and essential items to the pantry, often providing exactly the products needed most each week.
For Kim, the success of the initiative is a reminder of what can happen when young people are trusted to lead.
“Don’t underestimate what children are capable of,” she said. “When you give students a genuine opportunity to contribute and allow them to have a voice, they often come up with ideas and show a level of empathy and leadership that you might not have expected. The role of the adults is really important but sometimes it is about creating the opportunity and then stepping back enough to let the students take ownership.”
Through initiatives like this, Charles Conder Primary School is helping students develop the compassion, leadership and sense of social responsibility that will continue to strengthen their communities well into the future.
Visit our Pantry Appeal page to learn how you, your church, school or group can get get involved.
