The
East Timor Service Learning Project
Objective : teaching youth social skills that will
build character.
Four major themes for successful
learning service projects:
- focus on the strengths, rather than weaknesses.
- help develop a sense of power versus helplessness.
- create worthiness instead of worthlessness.
- provide opportunities for giving instead of depending.
Definitions
- Character Education: refers to the deliberate effort
by schools and communities to help young people understand,
care about, and act upon core ethical values.
- Service Learning : is a method of instruction in
which youth learn and develop through active participation
in thoughtfully designed service experiences that
meet the actual community needs. The approach should
be integrated into the young person’s academic
curriculum and provide a structured time for a young
person to think, talk or write about the experience.
Empowerment
Empowerment is not something you can give me.
Empowerment is something that I must achieve.
You may assist me.
- ENCOURAGE Show me and tell me you believe in me.
- ENVISION Help me see possibilities.
- EXAMPLE. If I do it wrong, show me; I want to Learn.
- ENDURE. Help me remember that things take Time.
- EXCITE I really want to feel positive about my
future.
- EVALUATE Help me to help myself rise above adversities.
- ENABLE. Just give me a chance to try.
- ENRICH. If I help to improve another’s life
it will enrich me.
Aims
Enhance the school curriculum by extending youth’s
learning into the community.
Help foster the development of a sense for others.
Foster leadership development, team building, collaboration
and civic responsibility to enhance the essential skills
of citizenship.
Six Pillars of Character
1. Responsibility and self-control.
2. Cooperation and teamwork.
3. Respect and appreciation of diversity.
4. Trustworthiness.
5. Fairness and justice.
6. Caring
Basics of Service Learning and
the Learning Community:
Service learning projects incorporate the following
characteristics :
- Meet actual community needs.
- Are coordinated in collaboration with school and
community.
- Are integrated into each person’s curriculum
vitae.
- Provide structured time for the youth to reflect
on the service learning experience through talking,
thinking and writing about it.
- Provide young people with the opportunities to use
new academic skills and knowledge in relation to life
and community situations.
- Enhance what is already taught in the school be
extending learning beyond the classroom.
- Help foster the development of a sense of caring
for others.
Strength-Based Outcomes
For youth who participate in service learning projects,
there are numerous positive outcomes. For example, they
learn to be more responsible for their actions, to solve
problems to care for another person and to get along
with different people from one’s self in direct
service projects.
The participants will be asked the following questions
to reflect on at the end of the project:
- Q. What have you learned about helping others from
their work in service learning ?
- Q. Has your opinion about yourself changed with
the work in service learning?
- Q. Has your opinion about working with classmates
changed with your work in service
learning?
- Q. How can service learning help you with your future
success and plans?
REPORT ON A SERVICE LEARNING
PILOT PROJECT East Timor 2002
“When the kids first
saw the destruction and poverty in East Timor, they
realised that in so many ways they are well off.”
“But if you peel off the layers of our boys’
lives, they in some ways have faced similar vulnerability
through sexual assault, rejection by their families;
they have overcome histories of drug abuse, physical
assault and poverty. However, through this experience,
they have managed to shrug off their victim mentality.
They now know that they can make a difference in this
world, they can contribute and they can overcome their
pain through learning to be generous.”
Father Chris Riley
 In
October 2002, 5 senior school students of Matthew Hogan
School travelled to East Timor with Father Chris Riley
and Sir William Deane to change the lives of many orphans.
They flew into Dili where they stayed for two days.
The poverty was confronting and the boys could not believe
the way some people are forced to live.
 During
their stay in Dili, they were very fortunate enough to
have morning tea with President Gusmao’s wife, the
First Lady of East Timor, Kirsty Sword-Gusmao.
They drove inland to the mountains stopping at an orphanage
in Laga where they presented
a cheque for US$2,000. The orphans sang beautiful songs
of welcome and thanks.
Six hours later, the group arrived at the orphanage
in Baguia where 50 orphans are cared for by only 3 staff.
The orphans receive one meal a day (primarily rice or
noodles), do not have any hot or cold running water
and there is electricity for only 4 hours each evening
from 7pm–11pm. Their accommodation consists of
one large room for the boys and one for the girls and
their only bath is in the open air with water carried
to it. They have no toys – even colouring-in books
and coloured pencils are a luxury.
During their stay in Baguia, the boys from Youth Off
The Streets slept in swags and experienced local meals
and customs.The days began at sunrise to the sounds
of children laughing. As a rare treat, they went swimming
at the local waterhole which was a 30 minute drive away,
the orphans all piling into the back of a ute, singing
all the way there and back.
They loved playing games like ‘follow the leader’,
tunnel ball, captain ball, ‘Simon says’,
colouring in pictures or making necklaces out of beads.
However their favourite game was soccer.
 Communication
was limited however they managed to learn a little of
the local language, Tetum. At school in Timor, the children
are taught English for 2 years, along with Biology,
Physics, Maths, Social Science & Portuguese. Before
the youth left Baguia, they presented a cheque for US$2,000
as well as 2 guitars, an electric keyboard, a CD player,
sporting equipment, clothing, toys and school supplies.
In addition, a further commitment was made to donate
$40 per month for a period of 1 year.
On the way back to Dili, the group stopped at one last
orphanage in Venilale where they made a final donation
of US$2,000. Once again they were overwhelmed by beautiful
singing.
 It
was anticipated that the trip would be a life altering
experience for the young people from Youth Off The Streets
and it proved to be just that. They experienced people
living in absolute poverty who found great pleasure
from simple things such as colouring in, playing ball
games and a treasure hunt for lollies. They were able
to make a small difference in the lives of others and
see how people who literally have nothing, still manage
to find great joy in life.
Here are some comments from the boys who participated
in the program:-
“We might have
problems, but there are some people out there with far
worse. I can make a difference and all I have to do
is apply myself….”
“When I wake
up in the morning I worry about what to wear, they worry
about what to eat. This experience has taught me about
having [and not having], learning and generosity”.
 Two
of the young boys participated in the project with Father
Immanuel Pinto from East Timor, Sir William Deane and
Lady Helen Deane at the Building Resilience Conference
in November 2002
If you can help – please send your donation to
The Timor Project, Youth Off the Streets Limited
PO Box 6025 ALEXANDRIA NSW 2015.
Your donation is tax deductible and a receipt will
be sent as soon as possible.
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Service
Learning is an 
