Giving Voice to the Impacts of Values Education The Final Report of ...

Other students revealed how learning about the lives of others motivated them to take individual action to
address a serious social issue, as seen in this story excerpt:
Before our school started doing activities on poverty, I knew it was there, but I thought it would be a
matter that would be fixed by others, and I sort of ignored it. But then our school started learning about
poverty and we went to a program run by Bowral High, which was the Big Day In. And I heard a lady do a
PowerPoint presentation on the slums in India and I saw how bad their living conditions were, and how
they didn’t have things they needed to survive. And I took most, as a society, we usually take most things
for granted. Like, if I didn’t get a toy I wanted, I would probably get bitterly disappointed. But these people
don’t have the things they really need. And I thought that if the matter was going to be resolved, everybody
had to chip in, including me. So I’ve started doing charity events like the 40 Hour Famine and other things
to raise money for poverty. The school activities have widened my knowledge on poverty, and I want to act
and help fix the problem. (Student MSC story, Southern Highlands Schools)
Opportunities for student voice, initiative and leadership
Importantly, the service learning and community projects outlined above placed the student at the centre
of the values learning, thereby encouraging initiative, leadership and powerful learning opportunities (see
Deakin Crick 2006). One teacher attributed this to ‘letting go of the reins’ and giving students responsibility
and ownership of the project (Teacher reflection, final VASP report, Greater Brisbane Cluster).
Powerful learning opportunities were also evident where students were encouraged to voice their values
consciousness through multimedia productions designed to reach a wide community audience, and to
demonstrate the responsibility they assumed as global and local citizens. The Youth Voice Magazine was
produced by students in the Maroondah Education Coalition and demonstrated their thoughts and feelings
about human rights. Topics in the magazine included:
• immigration – thoughts and feelings about being in a new place
• writing from refugee students – All about Me, My Destiny and Journey to a Dream
• responses to issues – letters to the editor on asylum seekers and racism
• celebrations of multiculturalism – artwork.
One student involved in this project spoke of the energy that comes from collaborative work with others:
We really do have a lot of views and opinions on things, and when we get together and have the
opportunity to talk about them, like we have in this program, then a lot of things can actually be done
and we actually do have quite a powerful voice. (Student MSC story, Maroondah Education Coalition)
Another described the impact of open dialogue around cultural and social issues:
‘When you can apply this really open, honest discussion about your feelings and about experiences, it really
does help understand people.’ (Student MSC story, Maroondah Education Coalition)
The Beenleigh Cluster identified apathy as a major issue in the four low socioeconomic school communities.
Many believed this apathy was rooted in a large number of students’ (and in many cases staff and parents’)
lack of self-belief in their ability to change their own life circumstances or to positively impact on the world
around them. The ‘v’ video was produced by one school in the Beenleigh Cluster. Students created the lyrics
for the song ‘Lovin’ It’, decided which aspects of the community they wished to celebrate in the video, and
performed the song and dance moves to camera.
56 Giving Voice to the Impacts of Values Education: The Final Report of the Values in Action Schools Project