• When you call: Introduce yourself and the school you are from

(“Hello, my name is _________________ and I am a student at Loyola Senior High School.”)

• Tell the person why you are calling

(“As a part of my Year 11 schooling at Loyola Senior High School, I am to complete 20 hours community service. I was hoping I might be able to do this at [name the business] )

• You may need to talk to someone else and you should explain who you are and why you are calling if you get transferred to someone new.
• It is probable that you will have to explain when you wish to help out so make sure you have a preference before you call

(“I was hoping to come in during the school holidays for a few days OR I was hoping to come in after school one afternoon per week for a few weeks…etc….”)

Do not answer questions with “I ‘dunno”.

• Always be polite and friendly on the phone.
• If you need to call back in order to speak to the right person, Do it on the arranged day at the arranged time.
• Sometimes you may have to visit your placement before they will let you start. Make sure you turn up on time and are polite and friendly.
• Even if you don’t want to start for a few weeks, make sure you book in early so you know exactly when you begin.

Once you know where your placement is:

• Inform your tutor of the details (where you are going, the contact person and phone number)
• Read the whole reflection booklet & FAQ's page before your first visit.
• Make sure your supervisor signs your book each time you visit.

When you have completed your placement and your book, share it to your Tutor Teacher (Arrupe, Faber and Ward students) Catholic Studies Teacher (McCormack students).

Take time to think about and prepare yourself for your time at your placement.

• Be respectful and sensitive to all those you meet
• Be on time and be prepared to do whatever you are asked
• Always act with courtesy, care and respect.

Ministry is helping and assisting others. It comes in many forms and different people’s experiences vary greatly. Ministry can include:

• Physically healing someone, like doctors do
• Listening to a person
• Being there for someone
• Helping out with simple tasks
• Being a member of a group that aims to help others e.g. Social Justice
• Providing food, clothing and help for those in need.
• Helping those with less skills e.g. translating for someone who has only just begun to learn English.

Ministering and helping others can be uncomfortable or difficult. It can mean feeling uncomfortable because you are reaching out to help someone. When you are doing this you are also putting yourself at risk because your help may be rejected. This is all a part of ministry.

The actual tasks you will need to complete will vary greatly from place to place. Sometimes you may ‘help out’ with tasks such as folding clothes or cleaning up or it may be filing reports and answering the phone, or other times you may talk with the people you meet. This can be difficult as it is hard to talk to those you don’t know. The points below may be useful in these situations.

1. Extend your hand and say “hello” and introduce who you are.

2. Start the conversation by commenting on something simple such as the weather or a current event. Instead you could say something like “this is my first time here” or tell them a bit about why you are there.

3. Ask the person about themselves, or about their day.

4. Keep the conversation going by asking questions and giving the other person a chance to reply. Try to avoid questions with “yes/no” or one word answers. Remember your listening skills as they answer your questions. Always maintain eye contact.

5. When silences occur, let them be for half a minute, then move the conversation to a new topic.

6. Always say something nice at the end of the conversation like, ”It was nice to meet you” or “ It will be good to talk with you again next time”.

In your experiences with your friends you have probably realised that the best way to help someone is often just to listen. This is not always as easy as it seems and to be a good listener you need to practice your skills. During your placement you will need to listen – to the people you serve, toe the people you will be working for, and to you’re the successes and failures of your friends. The steps below will help you improve your listening skills.

1. Make eye contact with the person throughout the conversation.

2. Nod you head occasionally, or say things like ”I see” or “I understand” to show you are concentrating and following the conversation.

3. Don’t interrupt with unnecessary information.

4. Listen for deeper feelings beneath the words that are being said.

5. Summarise what the person has said and ask for them for clarification. E.G. An elderly person may say “Nobody comes to visit”

You could summarise (and read deeper into their feelings) by saying “You must be lonely here. I hope that changes for you.”

6. Don’t ask questions that are too personal. Instead, invite the person to tell you more, like “Could you tell me more about that?” or “What did you do in that situation?” This gives the person to say “No” if they don’t want to talk any more.

7. Don’t judge while you listen. People often will stop talking if they feel they are being criticized. The same thing happens if you act horrified or shocked by what they say.

8. Don’t give a lecture or use clichés like “tomorrow’s another day” or “There are plenty of fish in the sea”. You know from your own experience that advice such as these is rarely helpful.

9. Don’t give advice to solve their problems. If people don’t find the solution themselves, they don’t own it. It’s OK to make suggestions, using words like ”Have you thought of ……” or “Have you tried” but never tell them what they should do.

10.Keep what is told to you confidential. The only exception to this rule is if you think that the information you have makes you think that the other person is a danger to himself or to others (e.g. you think he/she may hurt themselves or another). If this is the case, talk to the person in charge at your placement or back at school.

Loyola Senior High School . The Magis Program . 2018