Community Partnership Program

All first year students of the School of Community health (programs of speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry) complete 40 hours of service within local agencies who offer volunteer services to the community. The aim of this program is to foster within students the importance of volunteerism in building sustainable and compassionate communities. Specific learning objectives include the development of:

  1. A sense of community spirit (human inter-connectedness)
  2. A willingness to give help without thought of monetary benefit (altruism)
  3. A desire to continue with the giving of self, and of time, to the volunteering context (integrity)
  4. An ability to look deep within the self to find untapped resources of giving to others (reflective compassion)
  5. An ability to give of self with cheerful determination (hope).
  6. The facilitation of reflective writing practice.

From 2007, approximately 200 students are involved. This means a net contribution of 8000 hours of service to the community.

Contact- rbeecham@csu.edu.au.