Spreading the word with silence
For the ninth year in a row, Trinity Grammar School students have taken part in ‘Day Without Speech’, raising over $22,000 for OIC Cambodia.
The event is an initiative headed up by OIC Cambodia (founded by Weh Yeoh – Class of 1999), who work towards a better future for thousands of children affected by speech and communication difficulties. These difficulties are barriers for these children to go to school, form friendships or even communicate with their own families.
The Day Without Speech is designed to give students, teams and individuals a taste of what it’s like to experience these communication difficulties. Without their voices, participants need to get creative in how they communicate with those around them and be prepared with tools that will help them to get their message across.
Naturally, a classroom full of energetic – and loud – students seems like one of the most challenging situations in which to engage in the Day Without Speech, but staff and students at Trinity’s Junior School were up for the challenge.
“The boys were strategic in their preparation,” Ms Kat O’Malley, Deputy Head of the Junior School, says. “They brought Post-It notes, whiteboards, and notepads with them to communicate with them. The day before, we prepared for morning lines and prayer so that everyone knew what to do on the day.”
All participating classes made it through to recess with ease, with many of the classes choosing to carry on the challenge beyond recess – an impressive feat from a talkative and curious bunch.
While it was ideal for the students to prepare and understand what was expected of them, they also understood that preparation isn’t a reality for many other children over the world who struggle to communicate with others in their community when not everyone is on the same page.
In the lead up to the event, students were sponsored by friends, family and other members of the Trinity community, with the cohort raising over $22,000 for OIC Cambodia, an impressive effort and one that smashed through their original goal of raising $20K.
Since 2016, Trinity has raised over $163,200 through Day Without Speech and this year’s efforts are their biggest in those nine years.
Their hard work this year will inspire future years of Trinity students undertaking the challenge, something that the students are already looking forward to for next year.
