Mr Mark Horsford joins Melbourne Grammar School as Head of Service Learning with a background in Science and Religious Education, as well as pastoral care and community service programmes. His vision for Service Learning is underpinned by the belief that we are at our best when focused on those around us.
“We flourish as individuals when we’re using our gifts for the benefit of others,” says Mr Horsford. “And our Christian heritage would have us defending the dignity of each individual and to act with particular sensibility to those who live on the margins of our society.”
Mr Horsford adds that effective service should go beyond the simple provision of aid and fundraising. “In our engagement in the community, we want to use language that emphasises walking with and empowering people,” he explains. “We need to move away from the notion of sympathy, and towards empathy.”
Since joining the Melbourne Grammar community mid-year, Mr Horsford says he has been both impressed and surprised by the School culture. “Teachers here love the School and work incredibly hard, and that underpins everything. At the same time, there’s no forced formality in the way students and teachers relate to one another.”
“Service learning has been part of the DNA of Melbourne Grammar for a long time,” Mr Horsford adds. “We’re at a stage where we can build on that, broadening the scope of both local and international programmes that express the School’s core values.”
