Last week Year 10 students participated in the Damascus College Christian Personal Development Award (CPDA) which helps students to see the need to be proactive about personal development in the senior years of College life.

Throughout CPDA week, students are immersed in numerous personal development activities, some with a social justice focus.

The CPDA categories include:

• Action for Mercy and Justice (Community Service) – Students volunteer in the local community to develop skills in action for social justice at global, national and local levels and a sense of community service and responsibility

• Physical Pursuits – Physical talent identification assessments and recreational activities encourage participation in physical recreation and improvement of performance.

• Spiritual Development – A Retreat to recognise a commitment to the development of the spiritual aspect of the human person.

• Cultural Personal Development Activities – The Melbourne day encourages the development of personal interests and practical skills, as well as creative approaches to personal development and a spirit of adventure and discovery.

This years retreat was at ACU Ballarat Campus, where students investigate the corporal works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and those in prison and clothing the naked.

Physical pursuit activities were held at Damascus which gave students an experience of alternative recreational pursuits that offer balance and integration in the busyness of life.

Students also volunteered in the community, where they planted trees and cared for the earth around Ballarat.