From 24 September to 1 October, our students from Islamic College of Sport Victoria and NSW travelled to Indonesia in partnership with Human Appeal Australia for a humanitarian journey centred on giving back and experiencing gratitude through action.
The trip gave our students the opportunity to step beyond the classroom and put our values of connection, humility, care and determination into practice while working directly with local communities.
Throughout their time in Indonesia, our students helped renovate mosques and schools, distributed warm meals and school kits, spent time with orphans, went shopping with children, painted a mural, and worked alongside local farmers to plant chrysanthemums. The experience was about contributing wherever they could and leaving something positive behind.
At Al Bidayah Mosque in Kampung Loji, our students helped restore an important place where the local community gathered to pray. At the Integrated Islamic Junior High School, they helped renovate the school and painted a mural before distributing food and school kits. The journey concluded at Muhammadiyah 3 Senior High School in Jakarta, where our students connected with their peers and strengthened the bonds between our communities.
What began as a humanitarian trip became something much bigger. Our students travelled to Indonesia to give, but returned with a deeper understanding of what it meant to be grateful. Rather than simply talking about gratitude, they had the opportunity to experience it through service.
For us at ICS, the journey reflected what we hope to develop beyond academics and sport: young people who understand the importance of their faith and their responsibility to use what they have to benefit others.
