Mangiamo, Giochiamo e  Ci colleghiamo!

We eat, We play and We connect!

Year 9 Italian students experienced a very interactive, authentic, Italian excursion at the Laguna Veneto Club in Dianella. This club is renowned for its professional Bocce lanes and National champion Bocce players. We were greeted by 10 Italian volunteers of the club, smartly dressed in their yellow Bocce jumpers, who ranged between 80 and 90 years of age. Students were divided into groups of 4 or 5 and were allocated a volunteer to mentor them throughout the game. The Italian volunteers taught the students about the history and rules of Bocce. Students were not very familiar with this sport and were a little bit nervous about participating in the professional lanes. However, as time passed by, students gained confidence and became very competitive!

After many rounds of Bocce, students were seated in the hall of the club, where the volunteers spoke about their journey to Australia and how letter writing was their way to communicate to their loved ones. Their stories were very heartfelt and quite raw as they spoke about coming to an unknown land with no knowledge of the English language, little money and possessions, and not knowing what the future held for them. However, it was clear that their dream was to start a prosperous, safe and opportune life. The conversation then led to cultural respect for one another, open mindedness and also refugees. Students gained a deeper and more personal meaning about how it is essential that learn about the positives affects refugees can have on host communities and the necessity for cultural competency and empathy.

I reflected with my students about what they had learnt from the Italian excursion. They all agreed that they feel more perceptive towards cultural sensitivity but also will continue to show respect and empathy towards people of different cultural backgrounds.

Students and Italian volunteers sat and ate an Italian lunch together. It was beautiful to see the fusion of older and younger generations eating and laughing together. Everyone felt valued and happy! They had formed friendships with one another. Our students learnt new skills of a sport from these volunteers but also formed a close bond with their mentor. Seeing students listening and learning from older generations was evidence in them developing a closer emotional attachment to the Italian culture, Italian community and families.

This 'Intergenerational' excursion promoted the importance of building better relationships between younger and older generations. It was also evident that the Italian volunteers became more confident and were extremely happy to be part of this civic engagement. We ate, we played and we connected! The perfect recipe for an Italian excursion that fostered good mental health and wellbeing.

Student testimonials

“This excursion was really good! It allowed us to make meaningful connections with members of the Italian community but elderly people as a whole. It allowed us to hang out with them and challenge the stereotype - that you can only connect with people in the same age group as you.”  Audrey, Year 9

“I enjoyed the excursion to the Italian club. I liked the hospitality and friendliness of the club members. The game was fun to play and it helped that we had great members to teach us! The food was delicious and really cheered up my day!” Anonymous, Year 9

“When my class visited the Laguna Veneto Club, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a hidden talent of mine! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn something new and also hear the inspiring stories from the wonderful mentors about their first days in Australia. I was also asked to join their professional team!” Hayley, Year 9 

“The excursion we went on was great and good for mental health. It helped establish friendships between students and the elderly through the sport of bocce and the sense of understanding of the elderly especially Italian people. Also, it can help students get involved in their community and events locally. This enables connectivity to community through the sport that younger and older generations love.” Mia, Year 9

Welcome to Aurora, Gaia, Giorgia and Alessia, our 4 Exchange students from Italy.  

Maria Pennington
Teacher in Charge of Languages