It has been a big year for our Changemakers, who have been busy working as a team to ensure that the students of the ASMS are able to have their voice heard and enact real change through their contributions.
This year Zac, Sienna, Sam, Nicole, Finn, Ishana, Logan, Sara, Oliver and Matilda were our Changemakers. Here is what they had to say about their experiences this year.
Student reflections
This year I had the amazing experience of being a Changemaker I thought it was like being a SRC representative, but now I know it is about being part of a community and having a voice. In my experience, Changemakers felt like a big group of friends talking about what we thought would improve the ASMS community and feeling like I was part of the bigger school community.
Nicole
At the beginning of this year, I believed that being a Changemaker was about making simple changes and speaking at assemblies. Like many of the student body, I felt as if it was a, while important, not very significant position. However, throughout this year, I have seen genuine change due to me and my colleagues’ actions. Community involvement has also been a much more significant part of this position than I once thought, and encouraging people to make suggestions from the Changemakers, or listening to suggestions from people has been the most enjoyable part of being a Changemaker this year.
Oliver
During my time as a Changemaker, I learned more about the culture and learning at ASMS and made efforts to help teachers improve the learning design. From my experiences, I became more confident and articulate in expressing my opinion assertively to others. Collectively, this taught me more about the purpose and responsibility of being a learner and the Changemakers group.
Ishana
Before going into the Changemakers, I expected the experience to be the same as any other SRC. After being a Changemaker for a year I have seen that it is so much more. The Changemakers are respected by the staff and are enabled and encouraged to make changes in the school as a representative of the school community.
Zac
As a Changemaker I thoroughly enjoyed being able to contribute to my school community, getting to participate in insightful discussions, and being able to take and build on my peers’ feedback.
Logan
Beginning Changemakers, I was unaware of what they contributed to the school and how they settled student or school related matters. Throughout my time as a Changemaker, I have learnt that the Changemakers are an important aspect of the ASMS experience. By collaboratively speaking with the student body and teachers, the Changemakers understand differing perspectives of school related issues and can act accordingly to benefit the school environment. Throughout this school year, I have been introduced to perspective of teachers when facing school related matters, and have learnt how to listen, act and take a fall. I encourage students to participate in being a Changemaker, as it is a rewarding and communal experience.
Sara
It was a good feeling starting to get to know the insides of the clockwork behind the schools, even still at the small scale we did as a Changemaker. The aspect of collaborating with my peers in a different context such as that outside out of regular schoolwork was a rewarding experience, and from these experiences it helps me to have a good footing to build myself of going into just life in general as a lot of the skills can cross each other over for things such as a workplace.
Finn
“As a Changemaker I felt as though I got to make an impact on our school’s culture and I got to help our students to feel as though they belonged and had a place in this school. I got to make positive change and I got to leave my mark on the school. This opportunity was a really positive experience and I encourage everyone to have a shot at being a Changemaker because this year it was such a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
Sienna
Changemakers was a vessel for me to enact change within the community. It also allowed me the opportunity to present a solution to people who came up to me with problems. Working with a group of like-minded and change-orientated people allowed us to serve our community to a very high degree. It is a truly gratifying experience, and I recommend any prospective students to try it out.
Sam
Participating in Changemakers has been one of the most meaningful parts of my year as it gave me a better understanding of how our school works behind the scenes and made me feel listened to when the school was facing major changes in our curriculum and community.
Matilda