Nudgee&Philippines
After the Christian Brothers commenced their ministries in the Philippines, St Joseph’s Nudgee College was delighted to have an opportunity to develop a partnership with Brother Rod Ellyard and Br John Moodie in Kabankalan. In 2006, Brian Garrone of ERED Queensland (now Professional Officer: Peace and Justice Education EREA) and Nudgee staff member Matt Hawkins (now Assistant Principal: Identity at St Patrick’s College, Shorncliffe) piloted a possible immersion program which would feature a key twinning partnership with St Columban’s College at Cauayan. The program would also include the development of relationships with schools at Magballo, Ilog, Candoni and Inayauan. The program came to be called ‘Pag-Inupdanay with Spirit’. Pag-inupdanay is an Ilongo word which means ‘togetherness’.
Since these early days, this peace, justice and solidarity program has blossomed. Annually since 2007, Nudgee has taken a group of Year 10 students and support staff to the Philippines for a 12 day immersion program. The experience is bookended by briefing and debriefing time in Manila. These short periods in Manila are vital to the success of the program and are brilliantly supported by Father Dom Nolan of the Columban Missionaries who is our key contact for logistic and orientation leadership. The outstanding work of the Columbans over such a long period in the Philippines is inspirational and it is privilege to have become such great friends with Father Dom and Father Brian Gore.
The centrepiece of the program is a week long program held at St Columban’s which brings students from the five mentioned Negros schools and Nudgee students together for a cultural exchange. The staff and parents at St Columban’s do a marvellous job of hosting all of their guests and organising a great program. Over the years, the leadership of this exchange has shifted balance so that the Filipino hosts very much facilitate the program in partnership with us, which is a highly valued aspect of the experience. The highlight of the week is when the Nudgee group breaks into four and the Cauayan students join these groups in being hosted by the students from Magballo, Ilog, Candoni and Inayauan in their home villages. In this sense, the program includes five phases; orientation in Manila, exchange in Cauayan, deeper immersion in outlying villages and debrief back in Cauayan and Manila. The fifth phase is the ‘immersion with an immersion’ where the Filipino students have the opportunity to be immersed in another part of their Island culture they have not experience before, which might be in the mountains, the rice fields or in a fishing village !
A great extension to the program in 2009 was the ‘Bayanihan Walk’. In 2008, Nudgee introduced the ‘Walk to the Philiipines’ for all students inYears 5 to 9 as a solidarity and fundraising project to support the Brother’s ministry. Last year, all of our twin schools joined us on the same day in a ‘Walk to Australia’ where they raised money to support victims of the terrible floods in the Philippines. ‘Bayanihan’ is an Ilongo word which means ‘Working together to lighten the load.’ Over the past two years, the ‘Bayanihan Walk’ has raised $ 60 000 to support the acquisition of resources on Negros. This has included computers, literacy programs, improved classrooms and many other things.
Another emerging aspect of our program is a friendship with ‘Anawim’ (the dear little ones). Anawim is a small residential learning centre in Kabankalan which supports young people with hearing challenges or are completely deaf. In 2009, the Oceania Province sponsored some of their staff to be trained with ‘Hear and Say’ here in Brisbane. This will help with testing hearing status, health care and approaches to learning for the children, many of whom are orphans. The Brothers have also been involved in the acquisition of testing equipment, hearing aids and other resources. With the support and generosity of Mr Ron Ure, a volunteer with Oceania Province, Old Boy and past parent of Nudgee and Mrs Christine Nugent, who is also a past parent, Nudgee nurtured this relationship last year by hosting a dinner with the Anawim staff and a fundraising luncheon on the same day as the ‘Bayanihan Walk’.
This luncheon was our first attempt at gathering our past program participants, parents, staff, wider community and family and friends to share the Pag-inupdanay story. It was a sound success which we will build on this year. We were pleased with the news from Brother Rod Ellyard that $10 000 from Nudgee was being used to improve facilities at Anawim this year. Our visit to Anawim last year was a program highlight. The children are absolutely delightful and their amazing carers are simply inspirational. It was our students’ privilege to work side by side with our friends from Negros in the building of a road which will enable transport to travel directly to the centre in the wet weather. We look forward to visiting again in 2010 and to continuing to nurture this friendship with Anawim.
The entire Pag-inupdanay with Spirit program has had a great impact at Nudgee. We have a diverse community and the global partnership with the Philippines has given us a rich story to learn and understand and an opportunity to engage a wide range of students, their families and staff in being with and for the other in action. At the conclusion of the Rugby and Soccer seasons last year at the formal break ups, families brought in over 2000 children’s books for the young students of Negros. Our program is gaining profile and is being integrated into the life of the College. We have many plans for the future and give thanks for this opportunity for growth and renewal made possible by our great friends in the Philippines.
Chris Ryan’
Dean of Identity
