What does a School Chaplain do?
If Chaplaincy could be summarised in one key statement it would be this—Chaplains help students and staff meet their wellbeing and educational goals within their community.
Scripture Union(SU) QLD Chaplains, or 'chappies', provide spiritual and emotional support to their school communities. They are in the prevention and support business: helping students find a better way to deal with issues ranging from family breakdown, anxiety and depression, being bullied, school stress, tricky friendships and much more. They provide a listening ear and a therapeutic presence for children and young people in crisis, and those who just need a friend.
* The Chaplaincy service is available to everyone regardless of age, gender or religion within the school community.
Here are some points that might be helpful to know about my role as chaplain at our school:
I am currently on site 2 x days a week Wednesday and Thursday at our school.
I can provide 1-on-1 or group work with students for educational, social or emotional support and run workshops around building interpersonal skills.
I will be working alongside P&C and participating in extra-curricular activities like camps, excursions, and sports days to bring value to our school.
I will be building strong networks with the local community in order to support students, parents & staff at school.
Who is the Upper Mt Gravatt State School Chaplain?
My name is Ben O'Sullivan or Chappy Ben as the children call me! I've been working as a Teacher Aide at various Primary Schools for the past 5+ years and continue to enjoy my experience supporting students and staff. My rich 'boots on the ground' experience has given me great insight into the realties students and staff face within the school environment. Additionally, I have been involved with youth work and leadership roles for 7+years within a people helping context. I am studying a Bachelor of Counselling and desire to continue to work closely with Children & Families into the future. I enjoy playing sports and keeping active and on the weekends you'll most likely find me spending time with my family, patting my puppy or reading a good book!
In our digital-age, I am also passionate about empowering and educating people about some of the pitfalls of smartphones & social-media usage particularly as they relate to children & teenagers. Technology can be a blast, but it's important we rally to keep our children safe online! That is why I am affiliated with industry leading tech-safety networks like; Bark Technology, Protect Young Eyes (PYE) and Screenstrong who's goal it is to see toxic apps and screens removed and better parental protections put in place for growing families.
* If you are interested in being resourced around this topic or anything else related to supporting healthy children and families please feel free to reach out to me.
Will my child be involved with Chaplaincy?
Involvement with the Chaplain is entirely voluntary. Because my role includes emotional/spiritual support for students, this means I may spend some quality time supporting students on an individual basis. If parents/caregivers wish their child to access this support and encouragement, this can be simply arranged through contacting me or with the child's classroom teacher. Parents will always be consulted if their child wishes to be involved in ongoing one-to-one meetings with their Chaplain or any program or group involving spiritual or ethical content. Parents have the right to refuse permission for their child to be involved in any Chaplaincy activity or event.
How can I contact the Chaplain?
My shared room is located two doors down from the office upstairs. You can call me through the school office on (07) 3421 3111, or email me at ben.osullivan@suchaplaincy.org.au.
If you'd like to know more about me or my role as a Chaplain, please feel free to say 'hello!' - I would love to hear your story and I look forward to contributing to the wonderful Upper Mt Gravatt community while seeing parents, students and staff happy, healthy and thriving!
Kind Regards,
Chappy Ben