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Volunteering: The way to a more fulfilling and healthier life

The popular science on health, wellbeing and longevity is beginning to look beyond diet and exercise to volunteering as a contributing factor to a healthy, more fulfilling and longer life. Ethics volunteer Ima Strkljevic, a clinical physiotherapist, is doing her PhD in this field and shares her insights and knowledge with us in this blog post.

Ima points out that the evidence shows that volunteering positively affects the overall health of both volunteers and the recipients of their giving through social interaction, support and physical activity. Volunteering featured in the late Michael Moseley’s podcast Just One Thing (BBC) and Dan Buettner’s Live to 100: Secret of the Blue Zones (Netflix).

Ima Strkljevic has volunteered for Primary Ethics for more than seven years as an ethics teacher, coordinator and regional manager. Ima is passionate about volunteering! She is a clinical physiotherapist and a PhD candidate in public health, researching innovative interventions for promotion of physical activity in middle-aged and older adults, with particular focus on volunteering among health professionals.

Since she arrived in Australia as a refugee, Ima has volunteered with newly arrived refugees, migrants, torture and trauma survivors and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Apart from dedicating her time to providing ethics education in NSW public schools, she has professionally volunteered as a NSW Australian Physiotherapy Association branch councillor and initiated and contributed to health programs to promote physical activity, social/ intergenerational interaction and general health in her community.

Ima writes: Volunteers are an invaluable asset to their communities, an enormous, growing, informal workforce providing their knowledge, skills, resources and time. Many volunteers remain engaged in their cause for an extended period due to their prosocial behaviour. Australia’s estimated six million volunteers (roughly 30% of the adult population) have proven extremely valuable during times of national crises from destructive bushfires, drought, floods, cyclones and the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19. Apart from crises, volunteers regularly dedicate their time to regular activities related to sport, health, education, community and social welfare, all of which support social inclusion, education, help for marginalised and underrepresented groups, social connectivity and delivery of public services.

There is plenty of evidence supporting the multiple positive effects of volunteering for both the objective and subjective health of recipients and the volunteers themselves. Studies show that volunteering is associated with decreased mortality and improved physical health, mental health, social support and interaction, healthy behaviours and coping ability. In recipients, volunteering can improve self-esteem, disease management, mental health, cognitive function, self-efficacy and life expectancy. Engaging middle-aged or older adults as volunteers promotes their social interaction, which reduces loneliness. Loneliness is acknowledged as a modern-age epidemic associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, depression, anxiety, a multitude of physiological disorders and even premature death.

I’d like to add that there is a volunteering threshold to derive health benefits and it is one to two hours a week or 40-100 hours a year. This is the perfect number for a Primary Ethics volunteer.

Ima Strkljevic

The global aging population and increasing numbers of people with chronic disease puts strain on individuals, families and healthcare systems. Promotion of healthy aging should thus be a global priority. Encouraging volunteering as a way of fostering physical activity and social interaction in later life may prevent or at least delay the onset of age-related functional impairment. Low rates of physical activity among older adults remains a major public health concern (only one in five adults in Australia meet the physical activity guidelines and physical inactivity is one of the leading preventable causes of all ill health and premature death). Consequently, it is important to identify new, low-cost, sustainable strategies to support middle-aged and older adults to enjoy active, independent and happy lives for as long as possible.

fmed-11-1368661-g002 — Socio-ecological map of health professional volunteering

A recently published study that I co-authored recommended that volunteering organisations provide both social interaction and appropriate professional development opportunities as incentives. In addition, it is essential that organisations ensure that volunteering opportunities also involve older or retired professionals, emeritus and student groups, who have significant potential as volunteers. One group that has significant potential to be recruited as volunteers is health professionals, as they are highly motivated by altruism, empathy, ethics, learning, professional development, recognition and personal growth. Retired professionals in particular could reap the health benefits of volunteering by continuing to be physically and socially active and engaged as they progress through older age.

I’d like to add that there is a volunteering threshold to derive health benefits and it is one to two hours a week or 40-100 hours a year. This is the perfect number for a Primary Ethics volunteer.

Volunteer with us for increased wellbeing!

Primary Ethics is delighted to announce the Kinghorn Award for ethics volunteers 2024, which brings substantial prize money to go to the recipient’s chosen school, as well as public recognition and appreciation for the often-unsung efforts of our wonderful volunteers.

This award will honour an ethics volunteer or a school team of volunteers who have strongly contributed to the success of the ethics program at their school – or schools. We want to acknowledge team players, good communicators, who are supportive of other volunteers, reliable and committed to our program of ethics education.

The award is open to all ethics teachers, coordinators, regional managers and members of the Classroom Support Team (except individual Primary Ethics staff – they are eligible as members of a team). Every volunteer can nominate other volunteers for this award – there is no limit on numbers of nominations. Only volunteers who have been active in 2024 are eligible to be nominated.

We are looking for someone or a team who:

has made a significant contribution to our mission to deliver ethics education to children so that they can develop skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking and respectful discussion
has conducted themselves in a manner true to our values of respect, integrity, independence, excellence and teamwork.

THE PRIZE

The winner has the privilege of directing $4000 towards the library service in the school or schools of their choosing. They will be awarded an engraved trophy and their school library will be given a hardcover copy of Unstoppable Us, volume 2. Why the World isn’t Fair by Yuval Noah Harari, containing a bookplate with details of this award winner.

We will present the award to the winner at a ceremony in December 2024.

Make your nomination here >>

Nominations close at midnight on Friday 27 September, 2024.

The winner will be announced in late November 2024.

WHY THE KINGHORN AWARD?

The Chair of the Primary Ethics Board, Bruce Hogan, through his Hogan Family Foundation, is funding this award in order to recognise the fantastic contribution of the Kinghorn Family Foundation to Primary Ethics.

Primary Ethics would not be where it is today without the Kinghorns. From 2013 through to the present day, John and Jill Kinghorn’s Foundation has provided significant funding to Primary Ethics. This generous funding directly resulted in the employment of urgently needed staff to manage and develop ethics programs and provide teacher training.

This Kinghorn Award recognises both the pivotal role the Foundation has played and the significant role of the winner in bringing our ethics program to more children in our state.

THE JUDGING PANEL

The judging panel will be comprised of:

The Chair of the Primary Ethics Board, Bruce Hogan
Two randomly selected volunteers – you can express interest in being on the panel on the nomination form
CEO of Primary Ethics, Evan Hannah
plus others to be arranged.

Now is the time to think, reason and if necessary discuss your reasons for choosing your nominee – and then go ahead and nominate them!

Meet our new academic advisory board

Primary Ethics, which helps students build skills in ethical decision-making in hundreds of schools, was developed in collaboration with academics in philosophy and the education sector. We are now building on that foundation with the establishment of an academic and community advisory board that will foster ongoing academic connections and cultivate opportunities for collaboration.

Our new academic advisory board brings together several respected interdisciplinary experts in philosophy, education and educational psychology, including from within the Primary Ethics staff, to share expertise, provide expert advice and guidance and collaborate in bringing our ethics curriculum to more schools in more locations. The board’s expertise will enrich our program and ensure we remain at the cutting edge of developments in education and ethical discourse.

The Primary Ethics Director of Education Jarrah Aubourg chairs the new board, which will meet twice a year. Board members have a range of expertise encompassing both philosophy and education. This new forum is a space for them to share their insights and recommendations.

The board offers many benefits for Primary Ethics, including:

staying informed on new developments and best practice related to education, philosophy with children, classroom discussions and management
getting feedback from experts on specific issues or proposed program adjustments
opportunities for networking and participation in collaborative projects, grants and studies
perspectives on short-term and long-term goals, priorities for new initiatives and strategies for organisational growth.

Jarrah Aubourg (Chair)

Jarrah holds a Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Sydney and First Class Honours in Philosophy from the University of Wollongong. As a philosopher, educator and curriculum author committed to ethics education, Jarrah brings a deep understanding of education theory and philosophical inquiry to his work. As the Director of Education for Primary Ethics, he oversees curriculum development, teacher training programs and classroom support initiatives.

Jacqueline Ullman

Associate Professor Jacqueline Ullman is a pre-service and in-service teacher educator at Western Sydney University. Given her background across sociology of education and educational psychology, her research explores the impact of school climate, including classroom diversity, on students’ social and academic outcomes. A/P Ullman’s research is funded by the Australian Research Council and she has a substantial scholarly publication record. She serves as a member of the Research Advisory Board for the James Martin Institute of Public Policy and is the recipient of the Australian Association of Research in Education’s Raewyn Connell Award for Significant Leadership in Research.

Daniella Jasmin Forster

Dr Daniella J Forster (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Education at University of Newcastle, Australia. Daniella is an educational ethicist with a concern for education’s role in strengthening social justice and democracy. She was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2023 and previously a Primary Ethics volunteer at her children’s school. She uses philosophical tools, policy analysis and conducts empirical studies to better understand ethical decision making and practice in schooling. She is the Vice President of the Philosophy of Education Society Australasia and holds qualifications in philosophy and as a secondary school teacher.

Gilbert Burgh

Gilbert Burgh is an Honorary Associate Professor in Philosophy in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland, where he has taught philosophy of education, ethics, social and political philosophy and environmental philosophy. He was the founding President of the Queensland Association of Philosophy in Schools (1994-1996) and President of the Federation of Australasian Philosophy in Schools Associations (2002-2003). He has published widely on educational philosophy, especially democratic education, civics and citizenship education and collaborative philosophical inquiry as pedagogy. He has several co-authored books, including Teaching democracy in an age of uncertainty: Place-responsive learning (2022) (with Simone Thornton).

Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn

Dr Kimberley Pressick-Kilborn is currently Director of Research (Pre-School-Year 12) at Trinity Grammar School and an Honorary Industry Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She has worked in primary and secondary schools in New South Wales as a teacher, school leader and education researcher for more than 25 years. Kimberley previously was a Senior Lecturer in UTS’s Teacher Education Program, with a specific focus on primary education. She has a particular interest in practitioner research and teaching innovation informed by collaborative research. Kimberley previously has taught Philosophy with children in K-6 classrooms and currently teaches Theory of Knowledge in the IB Diploma program.

Nick Brancazio

Formerly a PERL Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Nick is an active researcher in the philosophy of science, with a focus in embodied cognitive science and interaction, and is affiliated with the Philosophy Department at the University of Adelaide. She now works with Primary Ethics as a curriculum and research specialist in addition to training new volunteers. Nick has been a volunteer teacher with Primary Ethics for four years and previously worked with Philosophical Horizons through the University of Memphis. She is based in Wollongong.

Simone Thornton

Simone Thornton is an educational and environmental philosopher and lecturer at the University of Wollongong. She is a member of the International Advisory Board for the journal Childhood & Philosophy, Brazil. Simone has numerous publications in philosophy in schools, including the co-edited history book Philosophical Inquiry with Children: The development of an inquiring society in Australia. Her most recent book, Eco-Rational Education: An Educational Response to Environmental Crisis, explores the role of philosophy in both creating and responding to the environment crisis and the implications for education.

Kelby Mason

Kelby has a University Medal in philosophy and a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney; he did his graduate work in philosophy at Rutgers, where he was a member of the Moral Psychology Research Group and a fellow at the Center for Cultural Analysis. Kelby has been a trainer for Primary Ethics since 2011 and an ethics teacher since 2012, during which time he has trained thousands of volunteer teachers and taught hundreds of students. He wrote the Primary Ethics high school curriculum and currently provides philosophical advice, trains and provides classroom support for new ethics teachers.

Getting to ethical grips with AI

Our ethics lessons are an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful discussions of real-life issues. These discussions are not just academic – they’re about equipping young minds with skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion that will help them navigate the complexities of the world they’re growing up into.

Practical ethics isn’t a static subject. Since our curriculum was first developed, we’ve seen some pretty significant changes in the sorts of technologies students engage with on a day-to-day basis. Technologies that bring with them a whole host of new (and sometimes old) ethical dilemmas.

Is it okay to use artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork?

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like chatbots, search engines and personalised recommendations become ever-present in students’ lives, it’s important for them to reflect on how they engage with such technologies. So we’ve developed an exciting new topic on AI for Stage 3 (Years 5-6). Some of the big questions students consider in this topic include: How is AI different from and similar to human intelligence? Is it okay to use artificial intelligence to help with schoolwork? To what extent can we trust AI and how do we know when not to trust it? Can we be friends with a chatbot? Is it bad to be cruel to artificial intelligence?

This new addition to our curriculum is not just about keeping pace with technological trends. It’s about preparing students for a future where they can confidently and ethically navigate the digital landscape. By fostering a deep, nuanced understanding of these issues, we’re helping shape a generation of informed, ethical digital citizens.

Ethics arrives on Lord Howe Island

Our most isolated program – Lord Howe Island Central School (LHICS) – commenced its first ever ethics program in Term 4 2023. Lisa Ralph and Lucille Wilson, friends who are both school parents, trained as ethics teachers and kicked off the program. LHICS is a tiny school with just 41 students from Kindy to Year 6. In its first term, ethics enrolled a third of the student body! The island does not have mobile coverage, but it does have an ethics program.

Lisa moved to Lord Howe 12 years ago and with her husband runs the Dive Lord Howe shop. Lu came to the island in 2021. Lisa and Lu were very enthusiastic about bringing ethics into their school as an alternative for the non-scripture students. In the past, students who opted out of scripture would sit in a separate room together doing colouring-in, hardly a ‘meaningful activity’.

A unique island

People living on the island find themselves in a unique environment. There are countless advantages to the tranquillity and beauty; there are also inherent challenges in the isolation. Note, though, the Primary Ethics remote online training model works really well!

Lu says that “offering Primary Ethics is an important part of ensuring our kids have access to the same educational experiences as students on the mainland. Having my own son in my class is really enjoyable, because I get to see firsthand how he works with his peers and I really love being able to engage with the kids as a teacher, rather than just Leo’s mum.”

Lisa Ralph& Lucille WilsonLord Howe crop — Lisa Ralph and Lucille Wilson outside their pretty island school.

Our remote location means our kids are less exposed to city-based influences, but they know there’s a wide world out there and I think ethics will help them be ready to embrace it.

Lisa echoes Lu’s thoughts. “I’d also like to add that I thoroughly enjoy fostering critical thinking and watching the students’ intellectual growth as they respectfully explore the complexities of right and wrong. Having my eldest daughter in the class is both challenging and rewarding and I love witnessing her contribute to our conversations, both during our sessions and at home.”

Lu also thinks that “the popularity of ethics within the school is a great indication of the progressive nature of the next generation coming through on the island. Historically, we might have a conservative culture and our remote location means our kids are less exposed to city-based influences, but they know there’s a wide world out there and I think ethics will help them be ready to embrace it.”

Working with a small remote school

Initially in 2023, both the classes on Lord Howe were just under the eight mark, which is usually our minimum for a class. We worked with the volunteers and school to ensure that lesson materials matched the group needs. In 2024, the program and class sizes have grown, so that both now number over eight. It’s wonderful to have a program that’s growing on such a small island!

Primary Ethics is delighted to announce the Kinghorn Volunteer Award 2023, which brings substantial prize money to go to the recipient’s chosen school, as well as public recognition and appreciation for the often-unsung efforts of our wonderful volunteers.

This award will honour an ethics volunteer who has strongly contributed to the success of the ethics program at their school – or schools. We want to acknowledge someone who is a team player, good communicator, supportive of other volunteers, reliable and committed to our program of ethics education.

The award is open to all ethics teachers, coordinators, regional managers and members of the Classroom Support Team (except Primary Ethics staff). Every volunteer can nominate other volunteers for this award – there is no limit on numbers of nominations. Only volunteers who have been active in 2023 are eligible to be nominated.

We are looking for someone who:

has made a significant contribution to our mission to deliver ethics education to children so that they can develop skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking and respectful discussion
has conducted themselves in a manner true to our values of respect, integrity, independence, excellence and teamwork.