02 April 2026
This term, a new group of Year 11 students stepped into volunteer roles for Buddy Up. While the program itself continues to grow year after year, it has been inspiring to see this year’s students embrace the opportunity with enthusiasm, initiative and a strong sense of responsibility. From the outset, this group of student volunteers have demonstrated thoughtful leadership.
They are taking the time to build trust, show patience, and respond to the individual needs of their buddies.These relationships, have developed steadily over the term through shared mealtimes and enjoyable activities. It has been particularly rewarding to observe how quickly connections have formed. As the weeks have progressed, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere of each session to a sense of ease and familiarity with all participants appearing increasingly relaxed, comfortable and engaged.
This growing confidence is a testament to the genuine connections being formed and the inclusive, supportive environment the students have helped to create.
“Over the past two terms, I have been lucky enough to be involved in the Buddy Up program, which has been an incredible experience. Whilst there were a range of challenges that I had to face, overall I found that the program has equipped me with a range of social skills that can be applied in a range of different situations. I often find that, daily, I tend to be quite preoccupied with things like tests, assignments and social issues, but it’s great to be able to put that aside for a few hours on a Monday afternoon and dedicate myself to creating an enjoyable experience for somebody else. My buddy Harry has been very energetic and outgoing in all of our sessions, which has meant that we end up playing lots of games that get him involved physically. In our first session, we ended up playing a bowling game where Harry acted as the bowling ball. After our first session, Ms Gilbert sent out an email asking for some new activities that Harry would enjoy. I thought about it, and suggested that balloon volleyball might be something that he would enjoy. We tried it at our next session, and ended up spending a couple of hours playing it, and it has now become a regular activity that we go back to. Overall, it’s been lovely to hear the feedback from Harry’s mum, and to know that what we’re able to do is having a tangible impact on Harry’s day-to-day life” – Aarav Kocher – Year 11, Farrell House
Thank you to all our student, parent and old scholar volunteers and a special mention to Max Arkadianos (Year 12) and Ms Oenone Grice for organising this week’s hilariously fun egg hunt activity which was a group highlight.
Jessica Gilbert
Buddy Up Coordinator
