Encouraging students to care for one another and for others is an integral part of life at Meriden. An extensive array of opportunities for community service provide girls with the confidence and skills to become engaged and compassionate citizens of their local community and the world.
Junior School
In the Junior School, girls’ passion for social justice is ignited as they learn they’re never too young to make a difference.
All students contribute to the School’s outreach programs which are woven into the curriculum in meaningful ways. Girls are empowered by the knowledge that they can make small changes that have a significant impact when undertaken collectively. Some initiatives include building robots that pick up rubbish in the playground and reducing the amount of plastic waste in their lunch boxes. By writing letters to the children living in developing countries who are sponsored by the Junior School, girls establish a deep understanding of the world and develop empathy in their recognition that, regardless of countries of residence, our similarities are always greater, and more valuable, than our differences.
Girls in Years 5 and 6 lead the way on many of the Junior School’s social justice initiatives and, by volunteering to join the Environmental Team or the Cultural Awareness Team, gain valuable experience in problem-solving, research, fundraising and leading with courage and conviction.
Meriden is proud that our Junior School girls are provided with the support they need to flourish to become world leaders of the future.
Senior School
Our Senior School students are encouraged to become empathetic leaders.
House Service Weeks unite the entire Senior School community in support of charitable causes. Each charity is selected by the Year 11 House Officers who lead the School in causal awareness and fundraising.
Senior School students have the opportunity to join a myriad of cocurricular groups with community service at their core. This includes Interact, a club dedicated to addressing social justice issues, and the Green Team which provides opportunities for the girls to have a positive impact on the natural environment.
When they reach Year 9, Meriden girls take part in a structured program that supports them to undertake a community service project of their choice for the benefit of their local community. In this year, girls may also apply to attend a service-based camp. In recent years, these camps have taken place at Cape York Peninsula, Ti Tree in remote Northern Territory, Boodereee National Park and Fiji. These life-changing trips allow the students to serve people in remote and Indigenous communities through activities including working in the community, reading to the children, preparing resources, and participating in cultural events.
All Meriden girls graduate with a portfolio of community service and a sense of responsibility for the planet and its people. The School’s formal and informal service programs give the girls the skills they need to be the change they want to see in the world.