Kilvington students lead through service with Flying Fox
By Kilvington Communications
“Fun is a human right” is the motto of Flying Fox, one of Kilvington’s longstanding community service partners. Through camps and social programs, the organisation creates opportunities for young people with disabilities to build friendships and above all, have fun.
During the September holidays, 65 Kilvington students from Years 10-12 put this motto into practice, spending four days at a Flying Fox camp as Buddies through Kilvington’s Character and Community Service programs.
As Buddies, students are tasked with creating the most fun imaginable for their participants whilst managing the highs and lows that any day may bring. They develop skills in communication, teamwork, and inclusive leadership, and build friendships that last far beyond camp.
These kinds of experiences are embedded into the culture of Kilvington. Speaking with Jacqui Goldenberg, our Head of Community Service, she explained that our school is not just trying to give students an academic education but to create people of good character.
“When you actually participate in doing the work and see how much can be achieved when people work together, it’s transformative. Telling students about it is one thing, but actually doing it is a completely different experience. It’s not something you can replicate in a classroom.”
Ms Goldenberg has been teaching for 30 years and in her experience, the Flying Fox camp is ‘the best school initiative I have been involved in.’
“You see students in a whole new light. They have the opportunity to express the most caring, empathetic, flexible versions of themselves and to let go of any self-consciousness. You see them being their authentic selves. They’re given a huge responsibility and it makes them better people.”
The camp is not without its challenges. Supporting someone else around the clock is tiring, demanding work, but it doesn’t deter our students. In fact more than half of the 65 Kilvington students who attended this year were returning for their second or third camp.
“My son is standing taller… like he’d grown a couple of years in a couple of days.”
— Parent
Confidence and the willingness to put it into practice
When asked about the best part of the Flying Fox camp, students shared responses such as “knowing I played a part in making my participant happy”, “seeing other participants support each other” and “seeing how my participant viewed the world differently was special and beautiful”. Others spoke about making connections, learning to communicate and gaining new perspectives on disability.
For Ms Goldenberg, one of the most touching examples of the camp’s impact came when a former parent got in touch to share how a Kilvington graduate had put their Flying Fox training into practice beyond the school gates. After coming across a non-verbal child alone in a public place, they were able to sit with them and offer comfort while they waited for help. They credited their experience with Flying Fox for giving them the confidence to step in and support someone who needed it.
“Even if students never become regular volunteers, the lessons stay with them,” said Ms Goldenberg , “their journey of making a difference is only beginning at Kilvington.”
How is community service unique at Kilvington?
Many schools place an emphasis on giving back, but at Kilvington community service is a dedicated part of school life. We focus on building strong relationships with our charity partners and getting students involved in the work itself.
Across Years 7-12 each year level partners with a different community organisation, introducing students to six causes throughout their Senior School journey. These causes also extend into Junior School initiatives, connecting younger students with the causes supported by their older peers.
The emphasis is always on the doing. In Year 7, for example, students work together to make sandwiches for Eat Up. They get to experience how working together allows them to produce a thousand meals in an hour, something no one person could achieve alone.
Our culture of community service extends beyond our students too. What began as a Year 10 activity, Connor’s Run has grown into a whole school initiative with students, teachers, parents and alumni taking part each year to raise funds for paediatric brain cancer. In 2026, despite being a small school, Kilvington achieved the highest school donation total for Connor’s Run – an incredible effort from our generous community.
Beyond the school gates
One of Ms Goldenberg’s ultimate goals for the program was to meet a former Kilvington student who had continued volunteering with a partner organisation beyond school. In just a handful of years, this has happened time and again.
Two of Kilvington’s 2025 Year 12 graduates were working at this year’s Flying Fox camp as team leaders, continuing their involvement as Buddies into adult life. Other former students continue volunteering with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and others volunteer at Connor’s Run as mascots. Dr Elizabeth Hu, who graduated around a decade ago, credits her participation in Cut for a Cause at Kilvington as the beginning of her journey into community service. She has since established two charities and works in sustainability in the medical field.
As Ms Goldenberg reflects, “There is no obligation to keep participating in this kind of service when they leave school, but they still do it.”
At Kilvington, we take pride in the young people we help shape and believe that a commitment to character and community service helps students grow into thoughtful, compassionate people who make a positive difference in the world. In just a few years we’ve seen the personal transformations that come from helping others, and watched these experiences inspire students to continue making a difference well beyond the school gates. It is truly a privilege to witness and we can’t wait to see how the next generation of Kilvington students carries this spirit of service into the world.
