When faced with violent threats from Prep student, Jacob*, Chappy Janelle and her fellow school staff chose to respond with love and kindness. Four years later, Jacob is now serving others.

“[Jacob] came to my school when he was starting Prep… When we were on playground duty with him, he would say stuff like, ‘I’m going to get a big knife and stab you. I’m going to kill you.’… The teacher’s aides and I would just give him a positive response back, and try to make him feel good about himself,” explains Janelle.

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What began as a side note in a conversation between Randall and his school chaplain has become a tangible positive in the young man’s life.

Randall first met school chaplain, Nick Warren, in 2015 – Nick’s first term as the Kedron State High School chaplain, on Brisbane’s north side.

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“Of all the days to forget my shell, it had to be today”, are words Chappy Jules Neri almost never got to hear.

Moments earlier nine-year-old Jaziya attempted to jump off a school building to escape his struggles at home, ongoing anger problems and another trip to the principal’s office.

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Children and young people matter! It’s why SU QLD exists. It’s why faithful supporters like you invest in school chaplaincy, at-risk and camping programs.

Biloela State High student, James, believed he didn’t matter. He was shy, rarely attended class, and family life was tough – often a combination that causes young people to leave school for a bleak future.

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High school senior, Jakob Friske, knew very little of SU-Schoolies before he arrived on day one at the Sunshine Coast, ready to experience the unknown.

One week later, he described it as “one of the best weeks of my life”.

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It’s the first day.

You walk through the school gate, hand-in-hand with your parent. It’s all new and that’s scary.

Everything is overwhelming and foreign… and not knowing what to expect makes it so much worse.

The tears well up in your eyes, knowing that you have to leave mum and dad’s side and spend the rest of the day surrounded by strangers.

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For most people, 30 years is a very long time…

But when you consider how many lives would have been impacted by a chaplain over these 30 years, this number becomes an even more significant.

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A group of volunteers are using their skills – like ukulele, woodworking, basketball and cooking – to mentor primary school kids who need extra support and encouragement.

Through the mentoring program, called ‘Chappy Chums’, the trained volunteers spend 30 minutes a week with a student at Bald Hills State School, building their confidence while doing fun activities.

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“As a chaplain, it’s my job to recognise kids’ passions. It’s not about my dreams or ideas, but championing theirs.”

These are the words of school chaplain Shane Briggs.  

They are his driving force. They’re why he wakes up every morning. And they’re the reason one of his students, Jax, began an adventure of a lifetime.

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Imagine you’re the parent of a child starting primary school…

But now imagine that you’re struggling… you’re struggling to know if your child is developing normally, you don’t feel supported, and you have no idea where to get help.

Knowing who to talk to and getting good advice can make all the difference.

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