Pacific Hills Christian School started 2024 with a determination. The school had a plan that was not in any textbook. It was a plan to connect students with older people living at Elouera Gardens Christian Retirement Village in the Yurana House wing.
Jason Mok, a staff member at Pacific Hills Christian School, made this plan happen.
Since the plan started in 2024, students in Years 5 to 8 have visited people in the village twice per term. For the people, these visits are something to look forward to. They can be very lonely when they do not see anyone they know for a time. For students, these visits are a way to learn about people’s lives.
Pacific Hills Christian School did not just want to do this. They wanted to keep doing it. So they made sure the students visited the people twice every term in 2024. This way the students and the old people could get to know each other. The old people could remember the students’ names and the students could remember the people’s names.
Many old people in Australia are lonely. When they live in a home for people, it can be very quiet and lonely between visits. The students who visited the people at Yurana House in 2024 did not come to perform or give a talk. They came to talk and listen to the people. They wanted to hear their stories and get to know them.
The students and the old people both got something from these visits. The students heard stories from a time and learned about the old people’s lives. The old people felt like someone cared about them. They were not forgotten.
Pacific Hills Christian Schools’ plan is an example of how schools can help their community. They did not just do it once. They made it a regular part of their school calendar. They visit the people twice every term. This shows that they really care about the people and they want to help them. They are not just doing it to look good. They are doing it because they want to help.
The school’s plan is simple. They just. Visit the old people. They talk to them. Listen to them. This is something that everyone can do. We can all visit people and talk to them. We can all show them that we care. Pacific Hills Christian School is doing a job of showing us how to do this. They are showing us that it is not hard to make a difference in someone’s life. We can all do it. We can all visit Pacific Hills Christian School. Learn from them. We can all. Visit old people like the students at Pacific Hills Christian School do.
