Service-Learning Spotlight: Grind to Ground

By Tahlia Hunt and Emily Wang, Year 10 Service-Learning Students

Grind to Ground is an incredible social enterprise run at Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), which Radford students luckily get the opportunity to attend and participate in each Tuesday. Grind to Ground engages adult volunteers with a disability and helps the environment by reusing products that would otherwise be sent to landfill.

At Grind to Ground, volunteers mix donated coffee grounds and sawdust to create a soil-enhancing product. The program recycles waste products and creates a sense of community, which has been shown to increase mental and physical wellbeing. This is important for everyone, especially those who are most vulnerable.

It’s encouraging to know that there are organisations like Grind to Ground that are working towards promoting social connections, environmental sustainability, diversity in society and furthering the inclusion of people with disabilities. Volunteering at Grind to Ground allows us to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and abilities, to expand our understanding and empathy. Working alongside people with disabilities to make Grind to Ground’s sustainable product further cements the reality that anyone can contribute to a brighter and more sustainable future.

We all know the importance of creating a more sustainable future, but oftentimes wonder about what a single 15-year-old can do. The easiest answer is not much, but that’s not true. There are plenty of opportunities to help the community at Radford and outside of Radford.

We find that participating in Grind to Ground has vitally increased our awareness of people with disabilities and how varied the lives, perceptions and realities between people are. If you would like to learn more, feel free to access the Grind to Ground website or visit them at Hall Markets.