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Posted on 17/04/2023

National School Chaplaincy Association visits our nation’s leaders

Easter and it’s lead up, is a season of hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and a long weekend spent with family. This family time is especially important for those who serve our community far from home like Federal Politicians and their staffers. Serving the community with long days to create policy, bring about change and lead our country doesn’t mean they miss their families any less.

In the weeks before Easter, Tamsyn Cullingford, CEO of YouthCARE, and Peter James, CEO of Scripture Union, travelled to Canberra to meet with Senators and Members of Parliament to shed a light on wellbeing, by advocating for the National School Chaplaincy Association (NSCA) and the crucial work of chaplains in public schools across Australia. As Co-chairs of the NSCA they’ve actively been seeking support for affirming the importance of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students through the work of school chaplains particularly in the aftermath of Covid-19.

As a gesture of the season to highlight the NSCA’s focus on wellbeing, Tamsyn and Peter presented every politician they met with an Easter Hamper! Every hamper was lined with an info graphic providing a snapshot of the National School Chaplaincy Association’s work across Australia and some Easter eggs to encourage those hard at work for our nations benefit.

Their visit culminated in a meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Milton Dick MP. The Speaker greeted the CEOs warmly and took great interest in the work of the NSCA in supporting students within their school community. The Speaker invited them to sign the official guest book of the Parliament on behalf of the NSCA. Tamsyn and Peter were delighted with the opportunity to sign and talk with the Speaker, sharing key insights and experiences about the positive impact that chaplains have on the lives of students.

As they left the parliament, both Tamsyn and Peter were hopeful that this Easter their efforts to bring wellbeing to everyone they met with, would make a meaningful difference in the lives of our federal representatives and their staff from across the country. They were grateful for the opportunity to meet with lawmakers, and to advocate for the wellbeing of young people in Australia.

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