Santa Sabina College was proud to be represented on the international stage at the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools Symposium, hosted this year at MLC Melbourne.
Deputy Principal Mission and Pastoral Care, Melanie van der Meer, presented a breakout session celebrating the depth and impact of Santa Sabina’s distinctive approach to Service Learning – the Salamanca Model. Her presentation highlighted how thoughtfully designed service experiences can play a powerful role in strengthening adolescent girls’ wellbeing and fostering spiritual flourishing.
At Santa Sabina, Service Learning is a cornerstone of a Dominican education. Through meaningful opportunities to engage with others, respond to real community need and reflect deeply on their experiences, students are invited to grow in empathy, confidence, compassion and a strong sense of purpose.
Melanie’s session explored how Santa Sabina’s approach differs from more transactional models of service that are common in many schools, where service can be reduced to hours logged or tasks completed. Instead, Santa Sabina’s Service Learning engages students at the level of identity, meaning and connection. When service is intentionally designed and underpinned by reflective practice, it becomes a developmental journey – one that nurtures resilience, belonging and spiritual awareness, and supports students to develop a coherent sense of self in relationship with others.
‘There is a sense of conscious engagement rather than obligation,’ Melanie explained. ‘For adolescent girls, who are often navigating heightened stress, perfectionism and fragmented identities, spirituality offers an integrative framework grounded in meaning rather than performance.’
Drawing on contemporary research in neuroscience, psychology and education, including insights into adolescent development, Melanie emphasised that Service Learning has the capacity to shape both hearts and minds when it is framed as a journey of meaning, reflection and connection. In this way, service becomes not simply something students do, but something that deeply forms who they are becoming.
This philosophy is embodied in Santa Sabina’s Salamanca Model, which guides all students – Primary and Secondary – along a transformative pathway of wellbeing and spiritual growth. More than hours or activities, the model is grounded in clear principles that nurture flourishing:
- Intentionality, framing service as encounter rather than charity
- Reflection, creating space for journaling, dialogue and contemplation
- Accompaniment, with adults modelling curiosity, humility and meaning‑making.
As Melanie shared with delegates, ‘When Service Learning is designed as a journey – rather than a requirement – it becomes a powerful expression of education’s deeper purpose.”
Santa Sabina’s contribution to the Symposium affirmed the College’s commitment to formation that is both academically rigorous and deeply human, preparing young women to engage with the world with wisdom, compassion and hope.