Torch - Fall 2012

14 / 56

12 HAVERGAL COLLEGE
Looking back on another successful Celebration
Saturday, we thought we’d shed some light on who
our community partners are and the roles they
play in our lives. We’re writing this article because
Celebration Saturday is not a fun fair; it is an event
that honours the value of community partnerships
and the significant impact these relationships have
on the people involved.
The value of community partnerships in our
lives rests on the broad understanding of what a
partnership is. For us, a partnership is a symbiotic
relationship in which both sides support and benefit
from each other. Needless to say, this year, in the 12
community partnerships that the school supports,
each one fosters the importance of reciprocity. In
a community partnership, Havergal students have
the ability to share in the lives of young people in
Toronto.
Our relationships with our partners are essentially
friendships: we work together and rely on each
other to ensure mutual benefits. For this reason,
everything that we accomplish with our community
partners is so much more rewarding.
As this year’s Community Prefects, we would like to
thank everyone who came out to Celebration
Saturday and supported our community
partnerships.
Alice Jeon and
Jamie Albaum,
Community Prefects
The Meaning of Havergal’s
Community Partnerships:
Students’ Viewpoints
By Alice Jeon and Jamie Albaum
“
“ As volunteers, we get as much out
of it as do the people we are working
with. We formed a partnership of our
own, in which we were both learning
from one another.
—Alice Jeon 2013, volunteer with Derrydown
Public School Community Partnership
“
“
Support the
Rebuilding of
Asomobi Lodge
in Costa Rica
In July 2012, Havergal
learned that the Asomobi Lodge was destroyed by
an electrical fire. This lodge has hosted two Global
Experience Program excursions, where students learned
about the cooperative structure of Costa Rica’s coffee
business and worked on projects. To support
the rebuilding, we urge you to purchase Havergal’s
Women Making a Difference coffee at
.
HavergalCollege
TEDxHavergalCollege on November 3 brought us a
morning of wonder and ideas as inspiring thinkers joined us
to share their insights into “The World As We Don’t Know
It.” Priscilla Uppal shared with us that Plato was an Olympic
medallist and encouraged us to remember the connection
between physicality and great thinking. Marina Nemat spoke
of the fragility of civil society and how we must always be
prepared to protect and nurture our peaceful way of life.
Mark Kingwell reinforced this message with his invocation
that we must demand the impossible of ourselves and others,
and not settle for ‘reality’ as we make decisions in life. All
those in attendance departed stimulated, never to see the
world in the same way again.
Working in a community partnership engages
us with our community. The buddies are the
intended beneficiaries of the Best Buddies program,
but I can definitely say that I gained just as much
from working with them as my buddy did.
—Jamie Albaum 2013, volunteer with Best Buddies
Community Partnership
INSTITUTE AT HAVERGAL