Interest in Spiritual

Well-being
In the Victorian schools’ Curriculum and Standards Framework released by the state government in February 1995, the goals for health and physical education are stated in the following form.

Learning in the Health and Physical Education area assists students to:           
- develop an understanding of the balance of the physical, social, spiritual and mental aspects of health in the effective functioning of individuals.

Attention to the spiritual aspect of health is formally part of the Victorian state education curriculum.

The interest in spiritual health and well-being is also shown in the number of state schools employing chaplains. In 2000, there are 53 chaplains in Victorian state schools apart from those in non-government schools. Apart from those 53 chaplains, another four people have been accredited with the Council for Christian Education in Schools to engage in pastoral work in five government schools.

The most rapid rise in chaplaincy has been in Western Australia. 83 people, in the year 2000, serve part-time or full-time as chaplains in government state schools.

New South Wales and Queensland do not have many chaplains in state schools because religious involvement in schools has been organised on a denominational, rather than an ecumenical basis. However, in some local areas, local congregations have come together and have worked with schools to have someone appointed to serve in a chaplaincy role.

Research relating to Spiritual Well-being

The interest in spiritual well-being is supported by recent research as indicated in the article of spirituality in this issue. In a major discussion paper on economic growth and well-being, Richard Eckersley of the CSIRO says:

Happy people are characterised by four traits: they have high self-esteem; they feel they have control over their lives; they are optimistic; and they are extroverted. However, the causal direction of these correlations is uncertain. Some aspects of life also seem to make a difference, especially close personal relationships, and also work, health and leisure. Other factors that affect well-being include: the ability to adapt; whether the world is seen as benevolent or threatening; the ability to define and progress towards goals; and religious belief or spirituality.

Happiness, he says, appears to have a hereditary component. However, people can change their lives to enhance their well-being. He concludes, however, by quoting from Headey and Wearing, two Melbourne researchers who have investigated happiness:

As Headey and Wearing (1992) say, the bottom line appears to be having a sense of meaning and purpose:

“Clearly a person cannot quickly or simply invent a new mission in order to achieve a sense of purpose and meaning in life, but it is worth remembering that in the long haul this is what matters most”.

The high rates of suicide, wide-spread drug use, and problems in mental and emotional health are symptoms of deep and wide-spread unhappiness among Australian young people. They believe more attention to the spiritual dimension of life is needed, for through the spiritual dimension people will discover a sense of meaning and purpose.

What Chaplains Do

Most school chaplains spend much of their time in pastoral work. They counsel young people who are referred to them, or those who come to them voluntarily. They visit the sick. Sometimes they become involved in their families, as someone who will listen to their needs and provide support. Many chaplains find themselves serving not only the students, but also the staff through issues of marital breakup, strain, sickness or death.

Some, but not all, chaplains have an educational background and are involved in teaching. Religious education can take a variety of forms. It may involve a special subject entitled religious education or may involve input within other subjects such as English or Social Studies. A few chaplains teach the VCE subjects Religion and Society or Text and Traditions.

Models of Religious Education for the Future

The current generation of secondary school students is the first since the schools began in Australia in which the majority have not been to Sunday School or had another form of religious education outside the home. Among those people in their 30s, 30 per cent never attended church or Sunday School as children. Among those in their 20s, over 40 per cent have never attended. Among those currently in their teens, it is estimated that over 50 per cent have never attended.

At the same time, the nature of religion has changed. The majority of younger people see religion as something which they can choose themselves, rather than something they inherit. Many see spirituality as something they construct for themselves using a variety of resources, sometimes from different religious traditions (Hughes, Pointers, Dec 1999, p.15). Many young people see spirituality as important to their lives, but few look to the institutional churches as the major resource (Engebretson, 1999, pp.86 and 87).

Within this new situation, religious education which seeks to inculcate students into a particular religious community seems quite inappropriate for the majority of students. Rather, religious education must prepare students for making choices about spirituality. It should help to give them an awareness of the possible resources from which they might draw and the communities to which they might choose to commit themselves. It should lead to the development of skills in evaluating those resources, in examining the possibilities for a sense of meaning and purpose, and in making decisions about their own religious and spiritual commitments. Most students have little background in spirituality, despite widespread interest. The symptoms of the lack of direction in the lives of many young people make paramount the need to develop appropriate forms of education which can assist students to higher levels of spiritual health.

This does not mean that the religious educator should capitulate to the consumer orientation to spirituality. It does mean that such an orientation should be recognised as the starting place for religious education. It may mean that the educator seeks to help students to move beyond that consumer mentality, perhaps through the consideration of what commitment to an on-going faith community might involve.

Counselling and Networks

Another area of school chaplaincy which needs re-examining is that of counselling. Particularly at times of personal crisis, personal or family counselling can be of immense value. In such circumstances counsellors may offer valuable support and emotional assistance. However, usually counsellors are not in a position to give long-term support.

Another model which many chaplains are using is the development of small communities or networks of people. The small community or network has several advantages over the counselling model.

1. It may well enable the chaplain to provide support to many more people than would be possible through one to one counselling and offer it on a long-term basis.

2. The network allows peers to have an influence on each other. In many instances, people are influenced more by peers than by expert opinions such as that of counsellors or chaplains.

3. While the counselling model tends to focus inwards on the needs of the individual, the small community encourages people to focus outwards, beyond themselves, to help others. As they do so, the needs of the individual are put into a wider context. As people focus on others, often they find their own needs are met. Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous have successfully used such models for a long time.

It may well be appropriate, then, for the chaplain working within a school, to develop a range of communities or networks of people around particular interests, needs or tasks. At other times, the chaplain may work within networks created by others to point to the spiritual dimension within other activities, whether it be the drama group, a sporting team, or the friends and parents association.

There is increasing recognition of the diversity of church life. The church may exist in small networks of people who honour God, seek what it means to be Christians and support each other and/or seek to serve others (Matthew 18.20). It may exist within these networks just as it may exist within larger and more structured congregations.

Philip Hughes

References:

Eckersley, R. 1997, 'Perspectives on Progress: Is Life Getting Better?' Working Paper 97/27, CSIRO.

Engebretson, K., 1999, 'Teenagers and Religious Education', in Ballis and Bouma, Religion in an Age of Change, CRA, Melbourne.

Headey, B. and Wearing, A., 1992, Understanding Happiness: A Theory of Subjective Well-being. Longman Cheshire, Melbourne.