2006 was action packed for Clemes students at The Friends’ School as they decided to be MAD for the entire year. Each tutor group developed a mission statement according to their values and made a decision as to how they could Make a Difference. The emphasis was on action and change rather than charity. While some students have received public recognition for their efforts, such as Jessica Lyndon who successfully lobbied to have the age of blood donation in Tasmania lowered to 16, the majority were rewarded simply by the knowledge that their actions had made a real difference.

Examples of Clemes ‘MADness’ are:

East Timor - Sunglasses were collected for East Timor eye surgery patients and books and toys for an orphanage in Dili.

Defensive Driving - Students lobbied for defensive driving courses for students to be subsidised.

Drink for the Amazon Rain Forest - Each Wednesday students prepared and sold drinks to raise money for the Amazon Rain Forest.

Ethiopia - Students worked with an Ethiopian family of 5 children. The group also organised Clemes participation in National Walk to School Day.

Fair Trade - Fair trade coffee and hot chocolate were sold every Friday with the cultural club organising live music.

Blood Donations - Letters were written to politicians to lobby for the Tasmanian blood donor age to be reduced to 16. As a result, a change in policy was made early in 2007. Students also worked to raise awareness about blood donations, encouraging others to give blood.

Salvation Army - Students worked with The Salvation Army teaching computer skills to the unemployed, cooking biscuits for street kids and helping with meals on wheels.

Don’t Dump It – Donate It - The donation of old phones to raise money for Cerebral Palsy Tasmania was promoted.

RSPCA - A food and bedding drive was organised and students assisted with caring for and exercising dogs at the Dogs’ Home.

Connecting with a Primary School - Donations of cereal and spreads were collected for the Risdon Vale Primary breakfast program. Students visited Risdon Vale Primary where they assisted with serving breakfast and engaged the children in sports and craft activities, cooking, reading and mentoring.

Connecting with the Elderly - Students regularly visited the elderly at The Mary Ogilvy Home while foreign language students visited elderly migrants. A music concert was organised at the home where students performed and, during interval, provided and served afternoon tea.

Red Kite Foundation - An early morning walk up Mount Wellington for staff and students was organised, with breakfast at the pinnacle, to raise money for the Red Kite Foundation.

MAD Day was held in August. All students elected to participate in activities that were community based and required action. Environmental actions included building a peace garden, cleaning up Cornelian Bay, replanting under the overpass and eradicating weeds at Coningham. Other activities involved mental resilience, coping with grief, head injury prevention, gaining expertise in CPR, defensive driving, refreshing Bronze Medallion qualifications, restorative justice and prevention of bullying and understanding cultural differences. Many students chose to work on and celebrate their MAD project.