Helpers Appreciation Day

During the pandemic, domestic helpers faced many challenges to their mental and physical well-being.  Social distancing measures that were put in place restricted the number of places that helpers were able to spend their free time during their day/s off. Two groups of Y11 students, from DaVinci and Nansen, decided to take on the challenge of exploring ways to aid domestic helpers in our community as part of their Global Perspectives Team Project. They aimed to, in essence, support the well-being of domestic helpers within the Island School community through the use of the newly built facilities of the Borrett Road campus.

On Sunday the 12th of March, Island School hosted its first Helpers Appreciation Day, that included a range of activities from volleyball, karaoke and a professional cooking session on. Over 30 helpers took part in this event, one which we hope to grow and repeat on a more regular basis here at Island School. To do this, the students decided to utilise the fabulous new facilities of our sports hall and food tech rooms for these events. Additionally, they were able to receive funding from the IS Trust to support the budget that the event required. 

The event was a major success, with the students receiving feedback that was overwhelmingly positive from all who where involved.  Participant Cepe, Sofia  T said, “Thank you so much for accommodating us all today as we had so much fun, we are looking forward to more activities in the future!”

Following the event, the students were able to keep in contact with the helpers that attended and received suggestions on other activities such as basketball and badminton that could be hosted in the future. 

Anthony Wong (11D), one of the student organisers stated that through “hosting this event it taught us the importance of appreciating all of the hard work that people in our community put in everyday! It was really amazing seeing how the helpers enjoyed participating in the workshop sessions. We are extremely grateful for all the help and support that was provided by our teachers, and we hope that this event will encourage other students within Island School to take action in our community!”