Support for Students
To excel, students need to be supported not only in class but also in other dimensions of their lives. Students may face difficulties in their homes which may affect their lives in school. Others may face an array of problem whose root may be multifaceted or difficult to pinpoint. Others, still, may not face any serious issues but simply need continued support and guidance to fully realize their potential.
To accomplish the needs of the many young men and women OCJC receives, the school has put in place different structures whose core mission is to support students in their different needs which, sometimes, are beyond, but closely connected with, academics. Prominent among these offices are the Offices of Campus Ministry, Counselling and Foster Parenting
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry is the Office dedicated to the spiritual dimension of the students at OCJC. The Office works under and in close collaboration with the Chaplain. Its principal role is to help students become aware and internalize Catholic values as well as the values of Jesuit spirituality. Concretely, the Office plans, guides and monitors students’ participation in activities such as the Mass, Recollections, Community Service (both within and out of the school), and different Prayer Sessions in the school. The Office is fully aware of the fact that students who progressively internalize these values become holistically formed. And these are the individuals who can immensely contribute to the progress of their communities.
Counselling
OCJC has a dedicated team of professional counsellors to whom students may turn if a need arises. These professionals do their best to journey with and help students who may need their input for different reasons. Some may be facing problems in their studies, others may have side-issues that creep into their daily lives in school, others may simply be in need of guidance or advice on a number of issues.
The office has been of immense help to many students, some of whom have bounced back to excel in their studies and in other domains of their lives. Encouraged by these positive results, Ocer is still dedicated to receiving and supporting students who may face different problems, regardless of their genesis. In so doing, the school lives its original mission of bringing hope to this part of the world which has experienced some of the most horrendous atrocities whose effects are still seen and felt in the many families the school serves
Foster families
With over a thousand children to care for, it may sometimes be difficult to meet the needs of each individual. Some children may remain hidden, unable to share some of their experiences in a family/friendly setting. It is for this reason that OCJC promotes foster families, families that comprise of a few children and a teacher who acts as their parent. The families meet regularly, and a child can freely approach her foster parent whenever a need arises.
Foster families promote the interests of the child. It is a setting in which a child lives and experiences parental love and care within the school. If the child might feel uncomfortable sharing her experiences in many other settings, foster families provide the much-needed avenue through which she is at liberty to share anything, or seek advice on anything without fear of judgement or repercussions.
Besides sharing her own story and experiences, the child also gets the opportunity to hear the stories of other members in her foster family. This gives her courage to share her own story as well as the awareness that she is not alone in the challenges she is facing. Her fellows might be going through the same. Together they learn to encourage and support one another.
Foster families have been a boon to many students, especially when these students face disciplinary issues. Some of their challenges stem from deep-rooted problems that foster parents may be aware of. It is the intervention and clarification of these parents in many instances which help the school in its effort to support the child.