Building a community-minded generation

A $30,000 Canterbury League Club donation to Bankstown organisation, Community Minds, was used to help fund their Community Minded Kids (CMK) program which educates and inspires children to become confident community contributors through interactive and engaging activities.

The program runs for a full school term, combining in-school discussions and workshops with out-of-school community learning and activities. Topics discussed during the program include diversity, inclusion, social justice, and equality with the aim of teaching empathy and fostering community-minded thinking in children. At the end of the term, students who have completed the program receive a certificate and graduate as a ‘Community Minded Kid’.

The program has been successfully implemented at three schools in the Canterbury-Bankstown district. One of them, St. Charbel’s College in Punchbowl, had 167 students graduate in December 2022. Another school, Padstow Park Public School will have 110 students completing the program shortly.

“Our purpose is to transform the ‘me’ generation into a ‘we’ generation. At Community Minds, we believe every person, regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, or religion has the right to be involved and contribute to their communities,” said Zizi Charida, Founder and CEO of Community Minds.

“Children are important members of the community and this program is integral to help set children up for the future as they are our future leaders.”

“We all have a social responsibility to be positive role models to the younger generation, to help teach and inspire in them kindness, civic-mindedness, patience, empathy, respect for all. We don’t live in a bubble, we live within a social fabric of multiple communities where trust and mutual respect for your fellow community members is vital for a harmonious one,” said Peter Winchester, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.